First Impressions
by Malakia
Summary: AU. When Maka went to the first time to the club she never thought she would meet someone like Soul Eater. No matter how handsome he was she was less than impressed by his personality. But slowly things come to light and she can't help but to fall for him
1. Chapter 1

**Welcome peeps! I hope you enjoy the story :)**

**I no own Soul Eater. Just the OCs! Mine!**

* * *

Maka scowled as she squinted into the darkness listening to the pounding beat of music around her. The mass of bodies on the club floor made it impossible to see who was who which made it hard for her to locate Tsubaki, her best friend and roommate, and her new boyfriend, Black Star for her position at the bar. How they met Maka didn't know but apparently his first name was 'Black' and last name 'Star' but he always insisted everyone call him by both his first and last names.

She growled in annoyance once she figured out her looking was futile and turned back to the bar. It irked her to no end that her friends had dragged her from her nice home on a Friday night, where she should be studying for an exam on Monday for a class she needed to pass instead of a club.

_"You're a junior in college and you haven't been to a club?" Kim asked in disbelief. "How the hell did you survive!"_

_ 'By avoiding situations where I had to go,' _Maka thought bitterly as she took a drink from her water. To change that Tsubaki had offered to take her to the hottest club in town yet here she was by her lonesome while her best friend danced on the floor with her boyfriend. _'Could this night get any worse?'_

"Maka? Is that you?"

_'I take it back….' _Slowly turning around she met disbelieving aqua-green eyes with one eye partially covered by a mop of bleach blonde hair. "Hiro…."

An idiotic grin spread across her ex-boyfriend's face, happy to see it was her. "Wow Maka I almost didn't recognize you! I never thought you would be in a club!" He laughed at the end causing Maka to wish to have a book in hand to give a good Maka Chop to the skull. And what did he mean almost not recognizing her? Sure her hair was down and not in its usual pigtails and she was wearing a short dress but did she look all that different? _'Maybe…,' _she thought looking down at her dress.

It was more risqué than what she usually wore stopping at the middle of her thighs. The back was very plain looking, long sleeve with a scoop neckline. The back though was the most revealing with three sideways triangles that revealed her all of her back without being too slutty. When her and Tsubaki had gone through Maka's closet they had stumbled upon this gift she had gotten from her mother and both of them agreed this was the best club outfit she had.

"Yeah," she said looking back up at Hiro. "I wanted to see what the big deal was about so I decided to give it a try."

"Well it's about time! Honestly, this is the sexiest I have seen you," Hiro teased as he leaned on the counter right next to her. Maka felt her eye twitch as she plastered on a fake smile.

_'Asshole!'_

"So what do you think so far?"

"Hmmm," Maka said rather cutely as she pretended to think. "To be perfectly honest I think it's the way I expected it to be?"

"Oh?" Hiro leaned into her, attempting to put on a sexy smile that would have fooled Maka in the past. She knew better though; in her cute voice she continued on.

"Yeah. It's full of egotistical males with nothing better to do than get girls drunk just to have sex with them before leaving them!"

Instantly, Hiro's smile dropped as he leaned away from her clearly confused. _'Got ya,' _Maka thought with a devious smirk as she grabbed her glass and walked away. She made it to the end of the bar before she ended up running into Tsubaki. "Tsubaki! Where have you been?" Maka asked noticing her friend's disheveled appearance. A shoulder strap was off skew and her hair was in disarray along with her make-up. Either she her dancing had gotten out of hand or she was doing something with her boyfriend that Maka didn't even _want _to know about.

"Oh! I'm fine," Tsubaki said a little too quickly as she pulled up her strap. "I just wanted to check on you!"

"I'm ok!" Maka said with another fake smile.

"Good, good!" Tsubaki giggled and swayed, knocking their heads too close for comfort with their lips inches apart. Maka could smell the alcohol on her friend's breath and inwardly groaned. A drunken Tsubaki was a perverted Tsubaki and Maka didn't think she could handle that right now. Luckily she didn't have to as Black Star came bounding up behind his girlfriend.

"Babe! Why did you leave your god?" he asked, sliding his arms around her waist and pulling her close to his chest, wearing a seductive smile as he did so. Tsubaki giggled as she pushed back against him making Maka almost blanch at the scene. She was about to tell them that she was about to go home for the night when someone pushed into her.

"Nya! I'm sorry!"

Turning around Maka saw a scantily clad, purple haired woman leaning over the counter waving to the bartender. "Nya! Ragnarok! Soul wanted to remind you his shift is ending soon!"

"Yeah Blair, I hear ya! Tell that bastard I got the memo!" the tall dark skinned man behind the counter said as he continued filling orders. He turned to face her, the faint scar in a 'x' shape on his nose in the dim lighting, as he came over to where the waitress was and laid out a new tray for her full of drinks. "Take these to table 7!"

"Ok!" Turning, the waitress nearly knocked into Maka again. Unfortunately, though she was able to save most of the numerous glasses on her tray, one drink tipped and ended up spilling all over Maka's front causing the blonde to scream out. "Nya, I'm sorry!" the woman screeched as she put her tray down on the bar.

"Blair!" the bartender yelled seeing the entire fiasco. The woman decided to ignore her boss as she grabbed a towel and started to try helping whip away the drink, apologizing the entire time. Maka couldn't find it in her to be mad at the woman; after all she seemed to be having a crazy night, and tried to calm down the frazzled woman and reassure her. The woman had kind of helped Maka though, what better way to get out of this club than to use this as an excuse.

"Hey waitress!" Black Star said, interrupting the two. Tsubaki had turned to face her boyfriend, pressing herself against him provocatively, while Black Star was focused on Maka and Blair. "You said 'Soul' right? You wouldn't know a Soul Evans would you?"

"Yeah! DJ Soul Eater!" the perky waitress said pointing out onto the floor. Maka followed her finger to the deejay booth where she saw a guy around what Maka could assume was her age working the sound board in front on him. The flashing lights made it impossible to see any features but from what Maka could see he was wearing a thick forehead band with something round to one side and a letterman jacket. She ignored Black Star's excited 'yahoo' and his ramblings that he knew the deejay from high school, seemingly entranced by the man she saw in front of her.

It was fascinating to watch him, his eyes closed seemingly lost in the music he was mixing. Maka just couldn't take her eyes off him, he wasn't the deejay that was playing when they arrived had he? If so why didn't she notice him until now? He had this type of aura around him that she could feel even from across the room, a kind of cool and calm one with a hint of danger and mystery.

Suddenly he opened his eyes and looked out at the crowd. A group of girls near him were dancing sexily, pushing up against each other as if trying to have sex with their clothes on. When they noticed that they had caught his eyes their moves began to pick up as they now started touching each other more. The deejay sent them a wicked smirk and winked at them, causing the girls to giggle madly and breaking the spell that he had over Maka. The blonde scuffed as she turned away. _'Typical male,' _she thought. _'Cares more about getting laid.'_

She then looked at Black Star and Tsubaki. "I'm sorry about the dress!" the waitress in front of her said. "I got all that I could!"

"It's ok!" Maka said with a gentle smile. The woman smiled back and gave her a tight surprise hug, before picking up the tray again and walking off.

"Man, I haven't seen Soul in years!" Black Star laughed, still going on. "Maybe I can catch up with him tonight! Just like old times!"

Maka didn't want to be around when he did.

"Well you do that Black Star! Just don't forget you have to bring Tsubaki home!"

"Why me? Where are you going?"

"Home," Maka said pointing to her now ruined dress. "Just drop her off at a decent hour!"

Black Star gave her a lecherous look. "No promises." Maka rolled her eyes, turning, and heading back to her car, trying to forget the rest of the night- including a certain deejay.

* * *

Maka couldn't believe it. '_How the hell did I end up in this situation?'_ Once again Maka was at the club again, being tricked into going by her roommate. She would have left hours but they had only taken one ride so she was in charge of taking everyone, which only included Black Star and Tsubaki, home.

They didn't want to leave and Maka didn't have the heart in it to fight them. Although now she wished she did. Both were leaning up against each other, well Black Star mostly doing the leaning because of how drunk he was. His words slurred and he was laughing at the most ridiculous things causing Tsubaki to giggle madly as she swayed on her feet.

Currently, it was early in the morning and the club had just kicked everyone out. The sun was just beginning to peek over the New York skyline but Maka had no time to appreciate the beauty as she tried to figure out how she was going to get to drunks to the car. Maka groaned at her unfortunate situation causing Tsubaki to look over at her.

"Som-something… wrong, Maka?" Tsubaki asked, her speech slightly slurred.

"It's nothing," Maka said coming up next to Black Star who looked like he was about to pass out. "Let's just get you to the car." Tsubaki giggled and nodded.

The first couple of steps were sloppy with Tsubaki nearly falling over once had she not been holding Black Star. Black Star seemed to be knocked out cold now, making Maka curse him out loud as they dragged him forward.

"Your boyfriends a bastard you know that Tsubaki?" The other woman just giggled.

"Who you calling a bastard?" Black Star asked surprising Maka into almost dropping him. He struggled in her grasp until he was able to stand unsteadily on his feet. "I am… the man WHO WILL SURPASS GOD!" He laughed annoyingly as he pointed to the sky. "YEAH!"

"Shut up!" an equally drunk voice called out behind them. Turning around they saw a short haired blonde woman leaning on the side of the railing to the entrance to the club, glaring with her blue eyes and pointing a finger at Black Star. "You're toooo llllloooouuuudddd!"

"Patti! Leave those people be!" A young man appeared behind her, wearing a dark suit. His hair was black but with three strips on one side. His gold eyes looked over at Maka and the rest of them apologetically. Another blonde hair woman was clinging to his right arm almost desperately, cuddling her face into his shoulder.

"I llllooovvee you Kid!"

"Yes Liz, I know," the man said soothingly as he grabbed the other girl, Patti, with his free arm. "Now let's get to the car." Patti giggled madly as she too latched onto his arm.

Maka couldn't help but feel sorry for the poor guy. He looked like a mess with those two, nearly falling as they went down the ramp. He seemed to have way too much practice with them as he easily maintained their balances. Maka turned away and was about to deal with her own two drunks when the club doors opened again.

"Oi, Kid! Where you going?"

Maka practically froze at hearing the voice. She couldn't forget that husky (and could she now detect a slight British undertone?) voice anywhere having listened to it half the night. Turning back around, she saw DJ Soul Eater completely for the first time.

Like before he wore the same letterman jacket, though now she could see it was a bright yellow and a strip of black from a messenger bag he wore bisected the jacket and a forehead band with a sticker to the side that looked like a mouth and said 'eat.' His shocking white hair was spiked back away from his sharp, aristocratic face. She also vaguely noted he was tall but that was nothing in comparison to his eyes, a deep ruby red that could possibly pull in any woman he wanted.

Her littler self was telling her to get out of there now, lest she fall victim to them but another half of her just wanted to fall. She had watched this man, Soul, for most of the night a mix between disgust and charm falling together as she watched him. Now here he was.

"SOUL!" Black Star yelled, waving his one of his arms frantically. "Soul, it's me! The great Black Star!"

Soul's head snapped towards them, a little wide-eyed but after recognizing Black Star the ends of his mouth pulled back to reveal sharp, shark-like teeth. "Black Star? Is that you?"

"Oh courses it's the great Black Star!" Soul laughed as he walked down the ramp with lazy stride, shoulders slouched. He stopped at the end, grabbing hold of Patti to help Kid, as Black Star stumbled his way over to him. Maka just let him go and immediately caught Tsubaki, who almost fell over.

"Man! I haven't seen you since high school! How've ya been!"

"Sooouuulll…," Patti whined. "Why is the man so llllooooouuuudddd…?"

Soul patted her head in understanding before looking at Black Star. "Star it's great to see you again but perhaps we can meet up when you're not so drunk?"

"HAHA! What are you talking about? A great star like me can't get drunk! Come on I want to introduce you to my girlfriend Tsubaki! Then we can go to some bar-"

"Sorry dude but I can't," Soul interrupted the blue haired man. "I got to get home."

Black Star looked slightly put off by this before he gave a lecherous smile. "Oh, I see got some ass waiting for you back home. That's cool, man."

Soul rolled his eyes at his longtime friend, but didn't deny the claim Maka noted in disgust.

"You aren't driving are you?" Soul asked with a hint of concern in his voice.

"No," Maka squeaked, finally finding her voice. She really wished she hadn't as those entrancing eyes fell on her followed by a devilish smirk.

"That's cool at least one of you is sober." The way he sounded he clearly didn't believe Maka completely which pissed her off. "Where do you guys live?"

Maka didn't want to answer him, no matter how handsome of a stranger he was. She didn't have to though as Tsubaki answered for her.

"We live in Cypress Hills," she giggled. Maka inwardly groaned.

"That's pretty far," Soul muttered. "Perhaps it would be best if you guys would stay at my place for the night. It's not that far."

Maka blinked in surprise. Was this guy, a complete stranger to her, offering them a place to stay? Really?

Her thoughts must have been obvious on her face because she earned a grin from Soul. "Star's an old friend so I know him well he won't steal anything and you and the other chick don't look like you guys would take anything either. Besides." He indicated to the girl in his arms and then to Kid who was walking over to an SUV. "They're crashing at my place too." Before Maka could say anything, Black Star shouted out that they would love to crash at his place causing the white haired man to laugh. "Awesome. Just let me get Patti in the car and you guys can follow behind Kid." He didn't give them any more time to talk as he walked away, following Kid.

Maka sighed dejectedly, again wondering how she always seemed to end up in these situations.

* * *

About 15 minutes later, after a drunken tango to get Tsubaki and Black Star in the car, Maka pulled in beside Kid's SUV in a swanky parking garage. Apparently this area of parking was used for guest as Soul had driven further off on his motorcycle, which Maka noted that he didn't wear a helmet riding. Kid had stopped his car and indicated for her to park as he did.

Feeling slightly lost she followed him and now was trying to deal with wrestling Black Star out of the back seat because he was passed out again. This time Tsubaki was a little more helpful, having lost some of her drunkenness. They were both able to get him out, just as Kid did with his two passengers, both of whom were still clinging to his arms.

Soul came up a few seconds later, his hands stuffed in his pockets. He reached out to help Kid with Patti again before looking over to Maka. "You need help with him," nodding his head at Black Star.

"No we got him," Maka said, readjusting her grip to prove her point. Soul nodded before taking the lead and taking the group to his apartment.

Going through the building, Maka felt a little out of place. Clearly this was one of the more expensive housing apartments in West Village, all clean and nice looking unlike the neighborhoods she was used to seeing. There was a door man who nodded to them with a sympathetic smile making Maka feel embarrassed. She nodded back before focusing on following the group in front of her.

Taking the elevator, Maka almost died of shock when, out of twelve buttons, Soul pressed the 10th floor button. How could he afford such a nice place, in a nice neighborhood, and only look around being her age?

The group remained quiet, even as the doors opened and they stumbled down the hall with Soul's apartment being in the middle. He pulled his keys out, finding the right one out of the numerous numbers on the key chain.

He struggled a little, as he pushed open the door, before letting everyone inside. Passing through a little hallway, Maka gaped in surprise. The room she now was in was large with a high ceiling and a hardwood floor. The four walls were painted a warm cream color with the lower half of the fourth wall that was toward the city had a large glass window that led out onto a balcony. There was a small dividing wall that separated the living room from the kitchen with a little dinner table off to the side. A huge black, wrap-around-couch was the main attraction of the room, with a black carpet and a glass table in the center of it, the second attraction being the large screen television mounted to the wall. A spiral staircase led up to the second level and on the opposite side of the kitchen area was a little hallway. Everything looked so nice and clean with the state of the art appliances and light fixtures.

"Hey Soul." A voice said, snapping Maka out of her reverie. Looking, she was surprised to see the waitress from last week walking up to them. She wasn't in any scantily dressed uniform but was wearing a sweater that covered her assets and a pair of jeans.

_'What is she doing here?'_

"Hey Blair. Thanks for staying longer," Soul said softly.

"Nya, it's fine! The kittens were so good for me!" Maka was kind of surprised that the woman wasn't yelling, but saying everything in a loud whisper. Blair looked at everyone behind him. "You got a full house tonight. Where are you going to fit them all?"

"The couch is big enough," Soul said passing Blair, heading to the sofa, and putting Patti down who whined a little at not having something to cuddle. Kid did the same, Maka and Tsubaki following suit. Maka watched as Soul went back over to Blair, kind of expecting him to kiss her or something, but was surprised when he pulled out his wallet and pulled out a couple of bills before handing them to her. "You need me to take you home?"

"No, I'll call a cab. The littlest kitten was missing you a lot when you called to say you had to work the rest of the night."

"Yeah, but the other deejay flacked out."

"Nya! Ragnarok should fire him! This is the third time in a month!" Soul chuckled in agreement before opening the door for the woman.

"Thanks again Blair." Maka vaguely heard a 'welcome' and 'good-bye' before the door was softly closed. Apparently it was enough to wake up Black Star who surprised everyone and sat up straight. He began looking around before his eyes widened and a big smile crossed his face.

"Holy crap man! You're loaded!" the blue haired man yelled.

"Black Star!" Soul hissed as he rushed back in the room, not running but walking fast. "Quiet!" The other man ignored him as he continued to yell about the room before running outside onto the balcony and yelling out there. Kid and Tsubaki tried to quiet him but nothing seemed to stop the man's rant even when Soul came up to him and tried to quiet him without yelling.

It kind of surprised Maka at his self-control; she would have went off on blue haired man long time ago. It did give Maka sometime to look around the room more though. Mostly she noticed it was sort of a man cave, with the walls sort of bare except for a couple of photo frames that she couldn't see what was inside them. In fact the entire room required a woman's touch save for the wooden entertainment system underneath the television. There were tones of video games and video game systems, typical guy things. Even the mountain of toys in the corner went well with the room.

'_Wait, toys?'_ Before she could look over the pile of toys in the corner she heard a small voice behind her.

"Papa?"

Snapping her head to look behind her, her jaw dropped it see three _kids _standing at the bottom of the stairs. A little girl no older than three, wearing a night white gown with little butterflies on the entire thing, was rubbing one of her green eyes. Her snow white hair was in slight disarray but fell elegantly around her face and down to her lower back. On both of her sides were two boys who looked around five, one wearing Batman pajamas and the other wearing Spiderman ones. Both of them were identical with black, slightly spiked hair and red eyes. One of them yawned, revealing familiar shark like teeth, and the soon the other one followed revealing the same. She was so surprised that she didn't see Soul suddenly tense up and stiffly turn around.

She did hear him sigh and was able to turn her head to watch him walk over to the children. He bent down from the knees and picked up the little girl around the waist and bringing him to his chest before standing. The little girl wrapped her arms around his neck and placed her head on his shoulder.

"Did the yelling wake you guys up?" Soul asked, now using his regular voice. The little girl in his nodded, face still buried in his shoulder, as the two boys nodded so well.

"Why are so many people here?" the boy in Batman pajamas whined as the two boys came up to Soul and each wrapping their arms around his thighs and burying their faces there.

"Just some friends spending the night," Soul muttered as he maneuvered his body with some difficulty to look at everyone. Liz and Patti had woken up by then and, along with Kid, were looking at him sympathetically. Black Star had somehow passed out again, Tsubaki now holding him up. She looked just as surprise as Maka felt before her face morphed into an apologetic one.

Soul sighed again before looking down at the two boys again. "….You guys feel like sleeping on the couch tonight?" That caught the boy's attention as they snapped their heads up at him.

"Like-"

"A sleepover?" It was kind of cute to see one boy finish the other sentence with hopefulness in there voices had the weirdness of the fact the Soul had _kids _hadn't shocked Maka into a stupor. Out of everything that she expected from this man the fact he had children was the last thing.

She watched as Soul smiled down at the two of them. "Yeah, a sleepover."

The two boys looked at each other. They smiled broadly before they let go of Soul and took off running up the stairs. "Don't forget to get a blanket and pillow for your sister!" Soul called watching as the two boys pushed each other out of the way.

Soul sighed wearily as he walked over to the couch, readjusting his grip on the small girl. Tsubaki had moved her boyfriend to the couch and was still looking at apologetically. "I am sooo sorry," she said. "If I knew you had kids I wouldn't have let Black Star over here."

"Nay, it's cool. It's my fault anyway, forgot how loud Star could get when he gets drunk." He looked at Black Star for a moment. "If you can drag him up stairs, there's a guest room he can stay in." Tsubaki nodded and gathered up her boyfriend again.

Soul then looked over at Kid. "You can take Ty and Alex's room. Patti can have Essie's room. But stay in your own beds this time! You nearly traumatized my boys the last time."

"It was only once," Liz whined as Kid smiled at Soul before grabbing the two girls and following Tsubaki. This left Soul and Maka alone, except for the little girl in his arms. Maka bit her bottom lip trying to calm her nerves as Soul looked down at her. "You and Tsubaki can have my room," he said indicating his head to the hallway. "The guest room bed is kinda small, so I hope you don't mind sharing a bed."

"O-of course not!" Maka squeaked again, hating how he was making her feel this way without even trying. "B-but are you sure it's alright?"

Soul smiled down at her. "Yeah it's cool. I told the boys anyway that we're sleeping on the couch. Just let me place her down and I'll show you where it is." She watched Soul round the couch, heading for the middle, to place the child on the leather sofa. As if knowing the older male was going somewhere, she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck as he tried to pull away.

"Neh, Papa… Don't go…." Maka's heart clenched at the words, not only because of how sad the words sounded, but also because it reminded her of her own no good father when she was younger. Perhaps it was because she was so tired that caused her to be so emotional when usually she could hold herself together.

Maka struggled with her tears as she watched Soul smile fondly down at the little girl before kissing her forehead gently. "Papa is just going to get changed," Maka heard him whisper. "I'll be back in a bit, I promise."

Nodding, the little girl let him go reluctantly, before turning over to face the back of the sofa and curling in a ball. Soul petted the girls head gently before standing up still wearing that fond expression. When he turned toward Maka it instantly went away to instead be replaced by one of concern and confusion. "You ok?" he asked.

Maka took a moment to gather her wayward emotions. "Yeah," she coughed out. She cleared her throat and tried speaking again. "Yeah, I'm fine."

He looked at her closely for a moment and she made herself not squirm under his gaze. After a moment, he finally nodded before indicating for her to follow him. Without much else to do she did, trailing behind him.

There were two doors in the hallway, both across from each other at the end of the hallway. Soul took the door to the right and Maka had to stop and gap again. The room was a warm red, accented by black trim. The floor cream carpet didn't really match the dark décor but kind of mashed pleasantly with it. Red curtains were open to reveal another large window wall. The room lacked dresser drawers but Maka figured that they were in the apparent walk in closet that Soul had disappeared in, the only other furniture she could see was two black wooden bed side tables, a black desk, with a pile of papers on it, and chair. Besides the closet door, there was another door, opened to reveal the cream colored master bathroom. The biggest attraction to the room though was the king sized bed that dominated the room, the bed frame made of a sturdy black wood and a black comforter pulled back to reveal red bed sheets. It was just _calling _out to her for to climb in, with Soul, and do some naughty deeds.

'_OH MY GOD!' _Maka thought, completely horrified with herself. She had _never _entertained those ideas with any guy, especially a guy she _just met! 'What the hell is wrong with me!'_ She didn't have time to continue her thoughts as Soul entered back in the room, now wearing a grey long sleeved shirt and a black pair of sweatpants, carrying a load of clothes in his arms.

"Here," he said, passing her a pair of sweats and a t-shirt. "Sorry if there a little big but they're all I've got."

Maka scrunched her face together. "What?" she asked confused. Soul gave her a smirk that infuriated her to no end. She wanted to smack it off but she figured that wouldn't be nice since he was offering a place to stay for the night.

"It's more comfortable than what your wearing now, right?" Maka looked down at herself. She had foregone more of the club where and had decided to wear a black flirty skirt and a blouse that she was too uncomfortable with wearing because of how low the neckline was. It did accentuate her almost none existent bust though. "And besides, I really don't want my kids wondering why you are dressed that way when they are fully awake."

"Oh… OH!" Maka said, blushing a little and looking away. He did have a point. "Th-thank you then."

"No problem," Soul said. Just then there was a knock at the door. Both of them turned to look to see the small boy in the Spiderman pajamas.

"You coming Papa?"

"Yeah, I'll be there in a minute Ty," Soul said walking over to the boy. Just need to drop some stuff to my friends."

The boy gave a wide smile. "Alright!" The boy then ran off and Soul looked back at Maka again.

"Have a good sleep."

"You too," Maka said, giving him a timid smile. Soul smirked back at her before leaving the room, leaving Maka to change and fall asleep.

* * *

**Don't forget to review please!**

**Edit: H-how... HOW COULD I POST THIS STORY WITH SO MANY SPELLING MISTAKES! I am soooooo sorry for those of you who read it before I got the chance T^T**


	2. Chapter 2

**WOO-HOO I am on a roll baby! I hope you like this chapter!**

* * *

Something was shining on her face. It was annoying. Maka groaned as she turned away from whatever it was, cuddling further in the sheets. She took a deep breath getting a good scent of something spicy. It was exotic and different from what she was usually smelt on anyone or anywhere. She breathed in deeply again and was about to fall sleep.

That was until something hit her face.

Startled she sat up, a little disoriented. It took her a moment to find her barring and she realized one thing right away. This was _not _her room, this was _not _her bed, and she was certainly _not _wearing the same clothes she had last night. A sudden panic gripped her, scared at what might have happened for her to end up in this position, before her second realization hit her and she recalled last night's event.

She let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. Looking around again she saw Tsubaki lay next to her, her arm stretched to where Maka once was. She smiled at her roommate before looking over at the clock. She was surprised to see the red numbers flash 10:13, usually she was up by eight. She must have been more tired than she thought.

Quietly, she got out of the bed and made her way over to the door. Carefully she opened it before stepping through and closing it equally as quiet. She padded out of the hallway and looked to the living room. She was surprised to see no one on the couch, except for a pile of folded blankets with pillows on top, but when she looked up she was able to see them through the window, Soul and his three kids, around an iron dinner table, eating breakfast. Or at least one was, the boy in the Spiderman pajamas was laughing at something while Soul was crouched in front of the other boy who was holding out his tongue to him with tears in his eyes.

She watched as Soul stood up and made his way over to the sliding glass door, still talking to the kids. "-That's what you get for getting into an eating contest with your brother," she heard Soul say as he stepped inside. Turning his head, his eyes landed on Maka standing awkwardly in the living room. He blinked in surprise before his face returned neutral. "Oh, you're awake. Wasn't expecting anyone to be up for a while."

Maka laughed a little, rubbing the back of her bed mussed head. "Internal alarm clock?" she offered.

"Heh, funny," Soul said moving to the kitchen, indicating for Maka to follow. "Your names Maka, right?" She nodded as she watched Soul opening the fridge door and began to pull out a variety of plates. "I made breakfast," he continued, lining the dishes on the counter. "Just grab what you want and heat it up."

"You didn't have to do that," Maka said coming to stand next to him. "I mean it was nice of you to let us stay the night. Making us breakfast is too much."

Soul shrugged as he pulled down some dishes and glasses from the cupboard. "The kids were awake and I made them breakfast. Figured I would make everyone else's too."

Maka smiled up at him kindly. "Thank you."

"Heh, no problem," Soul said with a smirk. "Once your done heating your food, you can come outside and sit with us. I don't think anyone's going to be up for a while." Maka nodded as Soul made his way back to the fridge. "Now if you'll excuse me. I got a son who is in desperate for some ice for his tongue."

"What happened?" Maka asked in concern as she started getting her breakfast. It was a smorgasbord for food; bacon, eggs, and every other breakfast item one could think of was there. Maka didn't know where to start first but decided just to get the basics for now.

"Ty challenged him to a 'who-can-eat-the-fastest-contest,'" Soul said as he opened the freezer for a piece of ice. "He ended up biting his tongue and with our teeth it hurts like hell." He flashed his own pearly whites to prove his point as he closed the freezer. Just as he did so, there was a loud muffled yelp. Rushing to the end of the kitchen, Soul and Maka poked their heads around the corner to see the other boy, the Spiderman one, was now holding his mouth with the other two laughing at him.

Soul sighed before heading back and grabbing another piece of ice. "I swear if one of them gets hurt the other just has to follow," he muttered as he made his way back outside.

Maka laughed a little before heading back into the kitchen to heat her food. Once that was done, she slowly made her way to the balcony. Opening the door, she had to hold back her laughter at seeing the two boys with pieces of ice on their tongues, glaring at their sister who continued to eat as if nothing happened. Soul was leaning back in one of the chairs, reading a newspaper with a half a cup of coffee and an empty plate in front of him. Looking up from his paper, he smirked at Maka. "Glad to see you decided to join us. Pull up a chair."

Maka decided to take the last available chair in between the little girl and Soul.

"Hi there!" the little girl said, green eyes sparkling as she looked up Maka. "My name's Essie. What's yours?"

"Maka. It's nice to meet you." The girl stared at her for a bit before smiling brightly.

"You got eyes like mine! They're green!" One of the boys snorted, causing Essie to look over at them. "What?"

"It's nothing Essie," Soul said, sending the two boys a look. "They just forgot their manners when we have guests over." That caught their attention. Instantly they sat up a little straighter and looked over at Maka, their pieces of ice lying forgotten on their plates.

"My name's Ty," the one in the Spiderman pajamas said.

"My name's Alex," the other one said. Simultaneously both of them smiled wide at her, showing off their teeth, looking very similar to Soul's smirk.

"Nice to meet you," they said at the same time. Maka had a fleeting thought that they seemed to have practiced that.

"It's nice to meet you too," Maka replied with a smile before taking a bite of her eggs.

"Do you like your food? Papa let us help make it!" Essie said happily.

"Really?" Maka said after she finished her bite. "What did you help him with?"

"I cracked the eggs!"

"More like made a mess," Ty teased. Essie looked at him, puffing her cheeks out in a pout.

"Did not!"

"Did too," Alex said. "What else would you call it?"

"Hey you two, it's not cool to pick on your sister," Soul said, folding down his paper to look at the two. "Keep it up and I won't let you guys help with the bacon or stir the batter again."

"But Papa!" both boys wailed in dismay.

"No 'buts,'" Soul said with note of finality, still staring at the boys. The boys pouted before nodding in resignation. Satisfied, Soul has about to go back to his paper when there was a loud doorbell ring that muffled through the glass. "I'll get it," Soul said, standing and going through the glass door, leaving it open.

This left Maka and the kids alone, leaving Maka in a very precarious situation. She didn't have any younger siblings or cousins, so she was a little lost on what to say next. Luckily kids are always full of questions.

"Are you one of Papa's friends?" Essie asked, after she took a bite of her food.

"Don't talk with your mouth full," Alex told his sister before taking a bite of his bacon with a bored expression. She looked over at him before nodding and finishing her bite.

"Sorry…." Maka smiled down at the girl as she turned her attention back to the older woman.

"Sort of," Maka said, answering the girl's question. "I'm friends with Black Star." _'In a sense….'_

Essie had a thoughtful expression on her face. "Was he the loud blue guy?" she innocently asked, almost making Maka laugh out loud. Yeah that sounded like Black Star.

When Maka nodded as she took a bite of her pancakes, Ty spoke. "Papa talks about him a lot. Mostly he tells us funny stories."

Maka was about to ask what kind of stories when she heard the front door being unlocked and Soul's surprised voice coming through the door. "Ms. Nygus. Nice to see you again."

Instantly, all three children stopped eating, leaving Maka very confused. She watched them look between the three of them their eyes wide with… fear? "Is our room clean?" Alex hissed to his brother.

"Duh!"

"Mine's not!" Essie whispered. "I have some toys and clothes on the floor."

"And the music room is sort of messy too," Ty said.

"Essie, go distract while Ty and I clean those two rooms," Alex said, determinedly.

Before Maka had anytime to question the three, all of them were out of their seats and running back in the apartment. By then, Soul had come back into the living room with an older African American woman. She was looking at everything with a critical eye, until they landed on Essie who was running up to them. Her brothers had split off from her, Alex heading upstairs and Ty heading down the hallway.

"Hi Ms. Mira!" Essie yelled reaching out to the woman with her little hands.

"Hi there Essie," the woman said kindly, kneeling down to be at her level. "How are you doing today?"

"Good! Papa let us help make breakfast with him today!" Ms. Nygus cast a glance over at Soul, with a soft smile.

"He did?"

"Mmhmm…," Ellie said dragging the woman over to the couch. "And yesterday, he took us to get ice cream!"

Maka by then had come in the room, confused out of her mind, both at the kid's behavior and the new woman. She looked over at Soul, who was still at the hallway entrance with his hands in his sweat pockets, silently asking what was going on. He looked at her and mouthed, _'I'll explain later.'_

Maka nodded, not satisfied but couldn't do anything before the other woman had noticed her and looked her way. "Who's this?" she asked, looking at Soul.

"She's a friend," Soul responded coming over to where she now sat. "Some of my friends partied too hard last night and I let them crash here."

Nygus looked at the blanket pile at the end of the couch. "That explains the pile there."

"Yeah, one of them got too loud and woke the kids. Told them we could sleep out on the couch for the night," Soul said rubbing the back of his neck in a nervous gesture, his face in a grimace.

"That doesn't sound very responsible Mr. Evans," Ms. Nygus reprimanded with a frown.

"We didn't mind though!" Everyone looked to see standing in front of the hallway, a little out of breath but his hands stuffed in his pockets and shuffling his feet to try and cover it up. "I mean, it was real cool we got to do that. Right, Essie?"

"Right!" she said immediately coming to her brother's defense of their dad. "Can we do it again Papa?" she asked looking up at Soul.

"Errr, maybe another night," Soul said looking between the two children suspiciously.

"Well, if it's alright with you I would like to see the rest of the apartment," Ms. Nygus said, standing up. A panic looked was shared between the two siblings.

"Ah…."

"Ok!" Everyone looked just in time to see Alex bounding down the stairs and skip the last step by leaping over it and landing on his feet. He looked up, putting on an innocent smile. Essie and Ty immediately relaxed as Soul looked at all of them with a narrowed gaze.

"What the heck!" Everyone looked up to the top of the staircase to see Black Star, Kid, Liz, and Patti looking down at them sleepily. Well, at least Kid and Patti were while Liz and Black Star were gripping their heads with pained expressions, Black Star's eyes wide as he took in the situation before him.

Soul sent Alex a disapproving look, the latter rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

"What's going on?" Ty screamed out in surprise as Tsubaki came up behind him. He immediately ran for the couch, leaving Tsubaki alone in the doorway rubbing her eyes to get the last bit of sleep out.

"Well it seems you had a full house Mr. Evans," Ms. Nygus noted, coming around the couch.

"I wasn't exactly expecting you today, Ms. Nygus," Soul admitted with a little venom. Nygus looked at him pointedly but softened her gaze.

"It's a surprise visit Mr. Evans. If I didn't do them, I wouldn't be doing my job," she said soothingly. Soul ran a hand through his hair, looking very agitated.

"Right. You going to start upstairs?" Ms. Nygus nodded and walked away.

Climbing the stairs, she passed everyone as they walked down, giving them a critical eye. Once she was out of eye shot Black Star looked at Soul.

"Who's that?" he asked, his voice at a normal level, which was surprising for him.

"Mira Nygus. She's with Child Services." Maka felt her heart stop and her eyes go wide. Child Services? What were they doing here? What did Soul do to get them involved? Was he abus-

Maka shook her head to get rid of that last thought before it could even finish. No, Soul didn't seem to be the type of man to hurt his kids. That much was evident from the little encounters she had seen. _'Then why was Child Services involved then?'_

"What the hel-"

"Don't you dare finish that statement Black Star," Soul warned pointing a finger at him. "There are kids in the room."

Black Star looked over at the couch where three little heads peeked out, staring at all of them. He was quiet for a moment before looking back at Soul. "I really thought that was some kind of bad dream."

Soul sent him a glare but said, "I'll explain later."

By then footsteps upstairs could be heard and everyone looked to see Ms. Nygus coming back downstairs. "Everything looks fine up there. I'll just check the last two rooms and get out your hair for the day."

Soul gave her a weary smile. "Sounds like a plan." With a firm nod, Ms. Nygus went down the hallway, leaving the group in an awkward. Luckily it didn't take long before Ms. Nygus returned wearing a smile.

"Alright here," she said. Soul seemed to let some tension out of his shoulders giving Ms. Nygus a grateful smile as they both headed to the front door.

"I'll see you next month then right?" he asked.

"Of course. The 15th as usual." After they said their good-byes and the door was closed, Soul returned to the room his eyesight zoning in on the three little children still sitting on the couch.

"You three have some explaining to do," Soul said in a firm voice.

"What do you mean Papa?" Ty asked trying to look all innocent. It failed as Soul continued to stare at them and they began to squirm and look away from his gaze. Coming up behind the couch, Soul looked down at all three of them.

"Alexander, Tyresias, what were you two doing?" The two boys looked at each, clearly scared that their father had used their full names. That was never a good sign.

All three children squirmed but none of them spoke. Soul wasn't backing down, looking at the three of them, hands in his pocket and eyes narrowed clearly saying that he was waiting for their response.

"They were… cleaning…?" Essie said looking up at her father finally. "My room and the music room were messy….." The heat of Soul's gaze softened as he looked at the two older boys.

"Is that true?"

"…Yeah," Ty admitted. "I also went into your room to see if it needed cleaning…."

"….I also checked all the other rooms upstairs," Alex said quietly. "I might have woken everyone up…." Soul's posture slumped as he reached out and patted the two boys on the head.

"I told you guys it's ok if your rooms are a little messy," he said, ruffling their hair and smiling.

"But the Dragon Lady yelled at you the last time our rooms were messy!" Alex cried looking up at him. Soul's smile instantly dropped.

"Al~ex," Ty whined, glaring at his brother.

"'Dragon Lady?' Who's that?' The boys remained quiet for a moment, looking at each other. When it was clear their father wasn't going to give up, Alex said quietly,

"Ms. Yumi…." Soul frowned sending both boys disapproving looks.

"What have I told you about calling people names?"

"Not to," the boys said at the same time.

"It was Ty who came up with it though!"

"Hey!" Ty attempted to throw back his arm to punch his brother in the arm but was stopped when Soul grabbed his hand.

"No fighting! And I don't care who came up with the name. The fact that you both are continuing it puts you both in big trouble." The boys began to whine and try to get back into their father's good graces but Soul glared down at them effectively shutting their mouths. "I told you two no name calling. Now, go outside and finish your breakfast before the birds get to it. I'll deal with you two later."

Nodding solemnly, the boys got off the couch, Ty taking her sisters hand to drag her along. Essie didn't move and continued to look up at Soul with watery eyes. "Please don't be too mad at them Papa…." Sighing, Soul gently placed his hand on the top of her head.

"I'm not Esmeralda," he said softly, using her full name to calm her. "I promise. Now go finish eating." Nodding, Essie jumped off the couch and followed her brothers.

It wasn't until the glass door had closed did Black Star finally speak, "Dude am I in the Twilight Zone or something? Since when did you become a dad?"

Soul sighed as he turned around to face him. "Technically I'm not. They aren't mine."

"They look just like you!"

"Did you forget I had a brother?" Soul said with narrowed eyes. "You know, Wes?" It took a moment for Black Star to recall.

"Oh yeah…. So what? Did he drop them off here and go out to tour the world?" Soul remained quiet but his jaw was tense.

"Black Star," Soul said, his voice dropping down an octave in anger. "No offense, you're my friend and all, but some days you can be a real dick."

"Ah…." Taking a deep breath, Soul made his way over to one of the walls and took down one of the photo frames. He looked at it sadly for a moment before returning to Black Star and handing it to him. "You remember when my parents passed away right?"

"Yeah, I remember," Black Star said, looking at the photo in surprise before looking back at his friends. "Kinda sucked balls it was during our senior year. But you weren't really close with them"

"Yeah, well, try having that happen and then get a call a year later saying your brother died too." A tense silence filled the room. Maka shifted on her feet, feeling very awkward; this was a deep subject after all. She looked at the rest of the group to see they also were becoming uncomfortable. Black Star stared at Soul in shock for a moment before he surprisingly looked at him sympathetically.

"Sorry man, I didn't know…."

"It's cool," Soul said, shoving his hands in his pockets and shrugging. "We haven't exactly been in touch these last couple of years. Last time we saw each other was at our graduation."

"Sooo, the kids…," Black Star said, placing the photo down on the sofa, waiting for an explanation.

"Yeah they're Wes's. We got really close after our parents died. Apparently he and his wife changed their wills and named me as benefactor for the kids. I was 19 so they called me and well…. I kinda felt like I owed Wes for all the shit I did when I was younger."

"Heh, good times," Black Star said with a devious smile.

"Hell of good times," Soul agreed with a wide smirk before it dropped. "Anyway, so I took them in and they've been with me for the past three years."

"And they call you 'Papa' cause….?"

Soul shrugged. "Essie was only a baby and Ty and Alex were two when Wes and his wife died. I'm the only father they've known." Soul scrunched his brows together. "At first Ty and Alex called be 'Uncle' and I was happy with that. Next thing I know, Essie's talking and calling me 'Papa' and soon the other two followed. It kind of worried me at first to be honest, but everyone I talked to said it was a good sign, something about making an emotional connection or something." Soul rubbed the back of his neck and shrugged. "So there you have it."

"What about Child Services?" Maka asked before she could stop herself. Surprised, she covered her mouth as Soul turned to look at her. "Y-you don't have to answer that…," she tried to amend but Soul shrugged her off.

"It's cool," he said. "I got nothing to hide…. Wes's wife, Felia, her family wasn't exactly happy with the wills. They didn't want to give the kids to me but we came up with a compromise in the end. I would get the kids and come back to America with the stipulation that I finish college and Child Services come and visit until I turn 25."

"Man that sucks!" Black Star yelled.

"So wait," Tsubaki said with concern and a contemplative look on her face. "You're holding down a job, raising three kids, _and _going to college full time? How do you do that?" Soul gave another infamous smirk.

"I never said I was going to college full time. The part about finishing college is that I _graduate _they never told me how or when. I am a part time student at NYU and I only take online classes." Black Star laughed.

"Leave it to you to find a loophole like that!"

"Heh," Soul shrugged. "So now that's out of the way, you feelin' hungry?"

"Hell yeah!"

"Cool, there some food on the counter. Help yourself; just heat it up."

"Soul!" Liz yelled pointing a finger at him. "What did I tell you? If we crash at your place _we _make the meals." Soul waved her off.

"My kids were hungry and I wasn't going to starve them just because I didn't know when you were going to wake up. Just be happy I made you breakfast." Liz and Soul continued to bicker as everyone followed them into the kitchen, all but Maka, who stopped by the sofa and looked at the photo frame lying there. Picking it up, she gazed at the photo behind the glass.

It was a man, who looked like Soul and Maka assumed was Wes, with a black haired, green-eyed woman. They smiled brightly at the camera; the woman, Felia, was sitting in a chair holding a pink bundle in her arms with Wes standing behind her. Ty and Alex were there too, a lot younger, standing on either side of their mother to try and peek at what their mother was holding.

"Hey…." Snapping her head up she looked to see Soul standing in front of her.

"Oh! Sorry!" Maka said dropping the photo back on the couch again. "I just wanted to see…."

"It's cool," Soul said smiling sadly. He picked up the photo and placed it back on the wall. Maka watched as Soul gazed at the photo, a heart breaking expression on his face. _'He really must miss his brother….'_

Soul then sighed and took a deep breath before turning around to face her. "You better hurry before Black Star eats all the food," he said as he walked past her. "I take it you've never seen his bottomless pit of a stomach before."

Maka gave a weak smile as she watched him walk out on the balcony to sit with his kids. Because they were his kids, maybe not directly but he was all they had. Watching as Soul talked to them, Maka couldn't help but feel that there was a lot more to Soul 'Eater' Evans than what she first thought.

* * *

**Reviews receive much love... and cookies! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello peeps! Thank you all so much for the lovely reviews! I couldn't believe it! And then one of my fav authors commented on it and I swear it felt like I had died (_Posioned Scarlet _I am not worthy of your praise! D:).**

**Anyway, thank you all again and sorry for the long wait! Again, I no own Soul Eater or any other references used in this chapter. Just the OCs**

* * *

"Would you guys hurry up! We're going to be late!"

"Maka we're already late! Why don't we just skip the class for the day! Missing one class is not going to kill you!"

Maka glared at her classmate Kim but continued to walk on. "That's not the point!" she said. "We have an exam this coming Friday and Professor Stein is going over the material for it today."

"You already have an A in the class!"

"And I would like to keep it that way!"

"Maka, you don't have to worry about it. I mean, if this is about Ox I am sure that you can best him in anything." Maka glared at Hiro, who they had met on the way to class.

_'This is all Kim's fault…,' _she thought. _'If she hadn't been late picking me up then we wouldn't have run into him!' _It had been Kim's turn to drive them to class, since Tsubaki had taken Maka and Tsubaki's car, and she had run late. By the time they had arrived at school, all the parking spaces located near the university had been taken and the group had been forced to park farther away than usual. That led them running into Hiro, who seemed to want to be back in Maka's good graces.

_'Kill me. Kill me now!' _

"Hey Soul! Pass the ball this way!" Maka came to an abrupt stop and spun her head to look across the street. The group was passing by the NYU's recreation center basketball courts and Maka's jaw dropped as she saw a white head of hair running down the court.

_'Soul….' _Maka hadn't seen Soul for the past two weeks, having no time to go back to the club because of exams. She had, surprisingly, run in Liz, Patti, and Kid on campus one day last week and had learned that he and the kids were doing ok. Beyond that, she didn't really know anymore.

"Maka?" Jacqueline asked, noticing the other girl stopped walking with the group. Maka turned back to the group embarrassed.

"O-oh! Sorry, I saw someone I know playing on the basketball courts."

"Oh really!" Kim asked coming back over to her, looking across the street. "Who is it?"

"The guy with the white hair."

Kim squinted her eyes as she looked closely across the street.

"I can't see him. Let's go across the street for a better look!" Before Maka could say anything, Kim grabbed Jacqueline's arm and dragged her off.

_'What bull!' _Maka knew Kim could see Soul (how hard was a guy with white hair hard to see?), she was just stalling! Though Maka knew this, she couldn't help but follow the two women with Hiro bringing up the rear. When she did get across, she was torn whether it was a good or bad thing when she saw Soul up close.

He was shirtless with a sheen of sweat glistening off his tan body. He wasn't overly muscular, instead being built like an athlete with toned arms and a lean chest and waist that hinted at a six pack, and his beige cargo pants hanging low on his narrow hips. Besides the man's great body, Maka was even more surprised to see other things, namely his numerous tattoos and a scar running diagonally down his chest.

His tattoos absolutely fascinated her. The first one she noticed was a musical staff with random notes wrapped around his right bicep going from the shoulder to the elbow. The only other one she could see covered his entire back. Two scythes crisscrossed over each other, the blades red on the top half and the bottom half a jagged black. Behind the scythes was a shield that had, what looked like to Maka, a decorative design of roses all over it. Above that tattoo, running along the upper back near his neck and shoulders, was the name 'Soul Eater' written in an old style English script.

She watched as Soul dodged his opponents, one arm dribbling the ball while the other arm was out to defend it. He spun and sidestepped everyone, looking as if he was dancing, as he raced down the court. No one, it seemed, was able to keep up with him as he neared the other team's basket, catching the ball in his hands and taking two steps before dunking it in.

His team let out a loud yell of happiness as they ran up to greet him and pat him on the back. "Nice shot man!" one of them said as Soul laughed, stuffing his hands in his pocket pants.

"Too easy," he said with his infamous smirk. He then happened to look over to where Maka and the others stood, doing a double take as he met her gaze. His smirk seemed to grow as he left his group of friends and jogged her way.

"Maka, it's good to see you again," he said, coming to stand in front of them through the fence. He seemed to notice others around her. "Who are your friends?"

"My name's Kim," the pink haired girl next to her said, batting her eyelashes seductively. Soul remained unimpressed.

"Name's Jacqueline," the dark haired girl said waving at Soul. "Nice to meet you." Soul nodded his nodded his head to her.

"Nice to meet you too." Finally his eyes landed on Hiro.

"Name's Hiro," the blonde man said with his smile coming out a little forced. "And you are…?"

Soul smirked at the man. "Soul."

While this was going on, it gave Maka a little time for her to look over Soul's chest to study his scar and to find more tattoos. The scar went from his left shoulder and ran almost perfectly across his chest and down until it disappeared into the waistline of his pants. It had to be an old scar because the tissue had turned white, popping out against his tanned flesh and Maka wondered if it still hurt him. It looked painful. But what surprised her more than anything was the tattoos on the left side of his chest.

Right above the scar, almost exactly on top of where his heart would be, were three little decorative orbs; one pink, one blue, and the last one green. They sort of curved in a half circle with the pink one being in the middle of the other two. All three of them had two pairs of eyes, with no pupils, and a mouth yet each one wore a different expression. The pink one had wide eyes, a cute smile, and two red dots underneath the eyes to give it a childlike appearance on its face and on each side of the top of its head were what looked like to be little bows with a small crown sitting on top between the two. Both of the other orbs had a jagged smile but the blue one's eyes were more lifted giving the impression that it was laughing; the green one's eyes were more solemn and peaceful looking of the two. Neither of them had anything on top of their heads except for a small wisp. Instead they had things coming out from the sides; the blue one with eight appendages, four on each side, which made it appear like a spider and the green one with two wings that made it look like a bat.

"Interesting name," Kim said, with a smile and snapping Maka out of her reverie. "Is it short for anything?"

"No. It's just my name," Soul said in a tone of neutrality. Maka almost smiled; he didn't seem to be falling for Kim's seductive plays which entertained her to no end but seemed to frustrate the other woman as she frowned at him when he focused his attention back on Maka.

"I haven't seen you at the club lately," Soul stated. "I saw Black Star and Tsubaki. They were there on Saturday."

"Yeah," Maka said sweetly. "I had an exam yesterday so I didn't go because I was studying."

"No offense, that sounds really lame," Soul laughed causing Maka to want to chop him. She would have if there wasn't a fence between the two of them.

"Well she finds her studies very important," Hiro said acting like he was defending Maka. "Not everyone has time to go out partying every night."

Soul looked at Hiro with a blank expression. Maka thought he was going to at least defend himself but instead he shrugged. "That may be true. But at least I'm not one of those people who gets thrown out of a club for sexually harassing a waitress."

Maka watched as Hiro turned a nice shade of red and figured that Soul had witnessed the thing he described happening by Hiro. She sent her former ex a glare before looking back at Soul.

"So is that where you two met?" Jacqueline asked, her interest peaked.

"Ummm… sort of," Maka said, laughing a little awkwardly. How do you explain to your friends that you spent a night at a stranger's house without anything sexual happening? Luckily Soul seemed to know the answer.

"I offered a friend of mine a place to stay for the night two weeks ago," he explained casually. "She was his ride, so I extended the invitation to her and her friend, who has my friend's girlfriend, since it was really late."

"That's very nice of you," Jacqueline said. Kim frowned.

"Nothing happened though?" she asked making Maka want to chop her. Soul snorted and closed his one of his eyes, peering with the other down at Kim.

"Of course nothing happened. I had a full house of people, no way in hell am I doing anything like that. Especially with someone I just met. So not cool."

Maka had to smile a little at that. He was always just full of surprises.

"Speaking of your house," Maka said, standing on her tippy toes to look over Soul at the rest of the group behind him. "Where are your kids?"

Honestly, she meant the question innocently but watching her two friends and her ex's face as they went into total shock and confusion was funny. Soul just smirked at her.

"Daycare," he said. "The campus has a daycare system and I thought the kids should go and play with others their ages. Besides it gave me time to hang out in the club I am in."

"This is a club?" Maka asked. Yeah she had heard of clubs on campus but never in a million years would she figure Soul would be involved with one.

"Yeah, Single Fathers of NYU. A group of us meet here on Tuesdays and Thursdays to hang out with people our age."

_'Well that makes since,' _Maka thought. _'It's like a support group, but for single fathers.' _

"Yo Soul! You coming or what?" An African American man wearing glasses came up next to Soul. The top of his hair was in spiked back tiny dreads and the sides were shaved to make them look like lines. He too was also shirtless with a tattoo on his right breast that said 'Luana Kealoha' with two dates and the initials 'R.I.P.' "Everyone's waitin' man."

"Kilik?" Maka said in surprise. Kilik was in her anatomy class and sat right next to her. They were friendly to each other but not once did he mention he was a father.

"Oh wow Maka, sorry didn't see you there," Kilik said his eyes widening in surprise before letting out a nervous laughter.

"It's fine. I didn't even realize you were a dad!"

Kilik laughed again.

"You never asked. And I thought it was obvious." He held up the back of hands with the names 'Halulu' on left and 'Ahi' on the right. Maka had noticed them but never realized they were kid's names. "These are my son and daughter's names."

"Oh…." Maka felt kind of foolish now for not realizing it sooner.

"I didn't realize you two knew each other," Kilik said, indicating to Soul.

"She was one of the girls that I was telling you about that slept at my place two weeks ago," Soul responded.

"Oh wow! I didn't know you were speaking about that 'Maka,'" Kilik laughed as he slung an arm around Soul's shoulders. He looked at Maka. "If I knew you were the one to sleepover at his place I would have ragged on you a long time ago."

"I have a feeling that I am going to get it anyway the next time I see you in class," Maka pouted. Kilik just laughed.

"Only about paying Soul back." To that Soul protested loudly that Maka didn't need to pay him back in anyway but Maka paid it no mind since she was going to anyway, she just didn't know what to give him in return. Then an idea struck her.

"No you won't," Maka said, making Kilik and Soul stop their banter to look at her. "Cause I'm going to invite him over for a cookout, that is, if Soul accepts."

"What?" Soul asked clearly confused.

"My Mama, she just got back from an overseas trip and wants to meet all of my friends. She's having a cookout this weekend as a get together. Do you want to come?" Maka ignored Hiro's sputtering next to her, clearly offended at not being invited (why the hell would she invite him anyway?) while Kim and Jacqueline shared a look which Maka too ignored. She continued to stare at Soul with a soft smile as she waited for his response.

"You sure it's cool?" Soul asked guardedly. His stance was stiff and he was looking at her with narrowed eyes. Maka was unsure how to take it but she nodded.

"Tsubaki's bringing Black Star and you can invite Kid, Liz and Patti too. I meant to ask them when I saw them last week but I forgot." That seemed to placate the young man as his shoulders slumped down and a wide smile grew across his face.

"I don't think I am working," he said. "What time is it?"

"It's from noon to about seven or eight."

"Kind of late isn't it?"

"My Mama always likes have long parties because she's usually gone for so long on her trips," Maka laughed. "She likes having people around…. So how about it? You get two free home cooked meals…."

"Heh, now how can I say 'no' to that?" Soul said, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Be nice for a change for someone else to cook."

Just then there was a rapid beeping sound and Soul pulled out his left hand to look at the sport watch on his wrist. "Sorry Kilik," Soul said shutting off the alarm and looking at the man next to him. "Looks like you are going to have to lose to me another day. I have to go pick up my kids."

"Dude, I let you win today," Kilik laughed, understanding the other man. "Tell your kids I say 'hi.'"

"Will do man." Soul then looked at Maka. "You feel like walking with me so I can get more information on where your mom lives?"

"Sure," Maka said ignoring her friends surprised faces. She was already late to class now, why even bother showing up? And besides she now got time to spend with Soul, get to know him better.

"Cool. Let me grab my things." With that he jogged away over to the other side of the court, grabbed his bag and his yellow and green tank top. He didn't bother to put his shirt back on, instead waving to the other guys and exiting through the fenced door.

Maka said goodbye to her friends, ignoring their sputtering at her suddenly leaving them, and met up with Soul. The two of them walked in a comfortable silence for a few seconds before Soul spoke. "So where does your mom live?"

"She lives in Sheepshead Bay."

"Huh, nice places they have over there," Soul commented slinging his shirt over his right shoulder. "I remember looking at some houses over there when I was looking for a bigger place."

"What made you decide not to live there?"

"West Village is closer to campus and to the clubs."

Maka hummed in understanding.

"Do you mind giving me your mom's address?"

"Not a problem." Maka watched as Soul reached into his bag and pulled out an iPhone 4. He messed with it for a moment before handing it to her. While she typed in the address Maka forced herself to ask the question that was burning in her mind. "Hey Soul, can I ask you a question?"

"….You wanna know about my scar?"

By then the two had stopped by the end of the street, waiting at the corner for the light to change to stop the ongoing traffic.

"What?" Maka asked looking up in surprise. Soul looked down at her with a blank expression.

"It's what people usually ask me when they first see my chest."

"O-oh… Well actually was wondering about your tattoos." She avoided looking at his chest, lest she end up having any inappropriate thoughts, as she handed back his phone to him. Soul took it, his eyes a little wide and an eyebrow cocked upward.

"What?"

"We-well your tattoos interest me," Maka said her cheeks turning red. "The one on your back looks really intricate and the ones here," she pointed on her chest where she had seen the tattoos. "Don't look like anything I've ever seen."

For a moment Soul was quiet causing Maka to worry she might have offended him when he suddenly busted out laughing, walking away when the walking sign signaled for them to cross the street.

"What's so funny!" Maka huffed as she walked next to him, glaring at the man.

"Sorry…," Soul said once he got his laughter under control. "It's just that it's surprising and cool that you're more interested in my tats than my scar."

Maka couldn't help but feel a little proud of herself at being able to surprise Soul. She found herself smiling and her cheeks heating up a bit.

"Anyway," Soul continued. "Which one would you like to know about first?"

"The one on your back," Maka happily replied immediately. "It looks like it took a long time for it to be done."

"Heh, it was," Soul said with a smirk. "I got it back in high school. Took four years to do but it was worth it in the end once it was finished."

"Does it have any special meaning? I know people who have tattoos and some of them have special meanings to them."

Soul shrugged. "It's my family coat of arms. I wanted something really cool and different. This was the only thing I could think of."

"Your family coat of arms?"

"Yes, I'm British." Maka felt her mouth drop as Soul pulled off a flawless British accent, which did funny things to her body making it all hot and tingly. Soul just laughed at her reaction.

"I wou-wouldn't have guessed," she said.

"I try," Soul said going back to his original (or was it fake since he was British first?) accent.

"Wha-what about the 'Soul Eater?'" Maka asked trying to steer the conversation from any awkward moments. "Did you get that in high school too?"

"Yep. I got it when I first started making music my Sophomore year."

"Why 'Soul Eater?'"

Soul flashed his teeth at her. "For a lot of reasons," he said cryptically. "But mostly because I got the name after I beat up a guy Freshman year. He never quite the same afterward and people said it was because I ate his soul."

"Sounds like you grew up around a lot of superstitious people."

"No kidding," Soul laughed. "But that's Death City for ya." Maka wanted to ask him more about his hometown but decided it was better not to bring it up for now.

"So what about the tattoo on your arm?" Suddenly she wished she hadn't asked when Soul dropped his smile and expression grew solemn.

"….I guess you can say it's a tribute to my brother," Soul said quietly as he turned to look ahead. Maka saw the pained look in his eyes and wanted to reach out to comfort him but stopped herself when Soul went on. "He was a great violinist. When he died he had a lot of music sheets that he never released. I was going through them and found one I really liked. I had the first staff tattooed on my arm…." His voice grew thick at the end and she watched in his eyes as he struggled to keep his emotions in check.

After a minute he cleared his throat. "Sorry," he said. "Get choked up about it sometimes." His expression was completely blank the entire time which for some reason irked Maka to no end. He was too good at the look when clearly it still hurt him. Had it not been for her looking in his eyes and his voice she wouldn't have guessed it did.

"It's ok," she said quietly, forcing herself not to have a confrontation with the man. It didn't seem to be a good idea to bring up his emotions when they were still getting to know each other. "So what about the other tattoos?" She pointed to his chest where the three little dots were.

Soul smirked a little, a little of that teasing fire returning to his eyes, and Maka couldn't help but feel proud of herself at bringing it back. "Well…," Soul started trying to find the words to describe them. "You're probably gonna think this is going to be odd but it's what I think my kids souls would look like."

Maka looked up at him with a confused expression. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me," Soul laughed. "It's what I think my kids souls would look like. I know it sounds odd to everyone else but I think it's cool. Totally an original idea that I had back a couple of years ago."

"It certainly is different…," Maka said now trying to peer at the tattoos. Soul must have seen what she was doing because he stopped walking and pointed at the blue one first.

"This one represents Ty; he's likes to joke around and play pranks on people. The reason it looks like a spider is because of the nickname I gave him, Spiderman, after his favorite superhero." Soul then pointed to the green one. "This is Alex; he's the thinker out of the three, takes things way too seriously for his own good. His favorite character is Batman so that's his nickname and why his tat looks like a bat." He then pointed to the last one. "This one is Essie. I call her Princess hence the crown. But she's likes to be cute all the time is always friendly with people."

Maka couldn't help but smile after his explanation. "It's really cute," she said.

Soul laughed, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "I was going for 'cool' but if 'cute' is the word for it. I'm ok with that too."

Maka laughed and the duo continued on their way. By that time, they had arrived at a typical brick building. There was nothing particularly special about it and one wouldn't have realized it was a daycare if not for the open playground where numerous children were yelling and playing. In order to enter the building, one had to pass through a gate that sat between the playground and the building.

Going through the gate, Maka immediately spotted Essie playing in a sandbox with to other kids. The kids looked like twins with bleach blonde hair peeking out from under their hats, large blue eyes, and rosy cheeks. They both wore white overalls but they wore different stripped colored shirts and one wore an orange hat while the other wore a yellow one.

The little girl hadn't seen the two of them at first as she continued talking to the two kids but when she looked and over their way she stopped talking. Maka watched as a wide smile went across her face before she stood up and began running over to them. "PAPA!"

Soul smirked as he knelt down to the ground and wrapped the girl in a hug. The child wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly for a couple of seconds before pulling away to look at him in the eyes. Soul leaned down and gave his daughter a kiss on the forehead causing her to giggle. "Having fun playing with Halulu and Ahi?" Soul asked which surprised Maka. The older woman looked back to see the two twins had gone to play somewhere else but she almost didn't believe that _they _were Kilik's children.

Essie nodded her head rapidly. "Yeah, we were building a sand castle!" the child said happily pulling Maka's attention back to the conversation below her.

"That's cool," Soul said before lifting his head and looking around the playground more. "Where are your brothers?"

As if on cue, Maka felt two small bodies ran past by her legs before Ty and Alex tackled their father from behind almost causing him to fall over on Essie. "Slay the dragon!" Ty yelled as the two boys tried to push their father to the ground.

Soul laughed loudly as he let Essie go and try to reach behind him. "You'll never get me!" he said. Soon, a little wrestling match ensued making Maka laugh along with Essie. By the end of it Soul was lying on his back, eyes close and arms spread wide, perfectly still as the two boys 'killed' him. Ty and Alex were kneeling on either side of him with huge smiles on their faces

"We did it!" Alex laughed as the two boys high-fived each other. "We slayed the dragon!"

Maka watched Soul as a little smile came across his face before one eye opened. "To bad no one told you this dragon can come back to life." With that he sat up grabbed Ty who yelled out in shock which turned into laughter when Soul lifted up his son's shirt and blew a raspberry on the boy's stomach.

"I'll save you Ty!" Alex yelled but was stopped when Soul reached out with this other free arm and grabbed the boy around the waist before pulling both of them tightly to his chest.

"Well look what the dragon caught," Soul said with a smirk as he looked down at the two. "Two little boys. Now what am I going to do with the two of you?"

"Take them to go get ice cream Papa!" Essie yelled as she came up and jumped on her father's back. "You promised us yesterday you would!"

Soul laughed which caused his sons to laugh as well at seeing their father so happy. Maka watched the picturesque scene with a little smile on her face. _'Too cute…,' _she thought with a giggle. She tried not to let her jealousy rear its ugly head, not because how close the kids were to Soul, but because the scene before her reminded her of her own childhood before her parent's divorce. What was done was done and she had made peace with her past a long time ago.

Soul stood up when his kids had gotten off of him. "Maybe later," Soul said. "We need to get going to Ty and Alex's cello and flute lessons." The three children smiled broadly and nodded. "Now come on," Soul continued. "We need to check you guys out." He leant down and grabbed his shirt, finally putting it on as Alex grabbed his father's bag.

"Hi Ms. Maka," Essie said coming up next to the older woman as the group made their way to the daycare building.

"Hello Essie. How are you doing?"

"Good! We're going to get ice cream later!" Maka smiled down at the little girl

"Really? When are you going?"

"After Alex and Ty's lessons. At least that's what Papa said."

Everyone walked inside, Alex and Ty finally saying hello to Maka when they held the door open for her and their sister. The checkout was fairly quick with Soul showing his ID and signing a couple of pieces of paper for the woman behind the desk. With that over with group went back outside, the kids waving goodbye to their friends, before they were out on the sidewalk heading toward the parking garage.

Maka watched as Soul interacted with his kids with a practiced ease as if he had been doing it whole life instead of three years. _'He's a natural…,' _Maka thought enviously, wishing she could be that good in social interactions. She had always been a little awkward when it came to things like that though.

At one point the group had to cross a street to reach their destination. Ty grabbed onto his father's right hand and Essie grabbed Soul's left. Maka thought Alex was going to take Ty's hand but was surprised when he came up next to her and grabbed hers instead. Maka looked down at the little boy as he looked up at her with a smile. "Papa always says we need to hold hands when crossing the street." It was a simple statement but Maka's heart melted because of how cute it was. She nodded and with that they walked across.

They quickly took the elevator to the third floor, everyone still holding hands. When the elevator doors opened Maka followed Soul to a red 2012 Dodge Charger with two black racing stripes running down the center of the car. Honestly, she shouldn't be surprised by now but she still stopped dead in her tracks and gapped. _'Where the hell is he getting this money!'_ She didn't have any more time to ponder the thought before she felt a small tug on her hand causing her to move again.

When they arrived, Alex let go of her hand to go around the car and opened the back door to climb into his car seat. Soul had opened the door for his other kids with Essie sitting in the middle of the two of them. As the kids started buckling in, Ty and Alex helping their sister, Soul stuck his head in.

"Hey guys," he said getting their attention. "How do you feel like going to a party at Ms. Maka mom's house?" That peaked all three of his kid's interest as they looked over at him wide-eyed.

"Really?" Essie said.

"Yep."

"Will other kids be there?"

Soul looked over at Maka.

"Um well no… but Black Star said that he is bringing his Xbox and Playstation along with various games."

"Like _Rock Band_?" Ty asked excitedly.

"I think so…."

The kids yelled happily and with that Soul closed the door, the kids muffled talking and laughing still coming out from behind the tinted windows. "And on that note, I guess I'll see you Saturday."

"Yep, drive safely."

Soul smirked as he went around to the driver's door and opened it. Meeting her gaze he let his smirk grow more, "Always do." With that he got in and started the car. Maka stepped back and allowed the car to pull out and drive away.

Watching the car go Maka felt herself smile before heading back to the university to get ready for her next class.

* * *

Saturday came all too quickly for Maka. First thing she did when she and Tsubaki woke up and got dressed was to drive the two of them over to Maka's mom house. The two story, four bedroom house with full basement was a couple of miles from the bay allowing it to have a little bit of a front and back yard, just enough for a small party. It stood at the end of a cul-de-sac, white with blue trimming and the yard kept green all year round thanks to landscaping company Maka's mother hired.

Her mother had bought the house Maka's Freshman year of high school, right after her parent's divorce. Her mother had worked various jobs, sometimes taking her weeks away but two years ago had found a job where she would travel when needed. Ironically it was the music industry, since Maka really didn't understand music at all unlike her mother, dealing with other major record companies overseas. Her mother being Japanese she usually traveled to the East.

Upon arriving the two girls were greeted warmly before being sent to work on cleaning the house and getting ready. Luckily the party was going to be smaller than it was going to be because Kim and Jacqueline had pulled out at the last minute. Jacqueline because her father was sick and Kim… well Kim never gave a reason but Maka suspected it was because Maka's mother disapproved of Maka being friends with Kim because of her promiscuous behavior. Truthfully the only reason Maka and Kim were friends was because they shared a class Freshman year and hit it off.

By the time the three of them had finished, noon had arrived bringing along the first guests who had been Kid, Liz, and Patti. The group had comfortable conversation for about an hour before Black Star arrived with all of his games and everyone began to focus on that.

By the time two o'clock hit, Maka was slightly worried that Soul wouldn't be able to make it when, above Black Star's yelling and the music _Dance Central_, she heard the doorbell ring. "I'll get it Mama!" Maka called to her mother who was currently in the kitchen getting everyone drinks. Not waiting for a response, she went off.

The first thing she was when she opened the door was a pair of ruby, red eyes followed by a devilish smirk. "Hey there," Soul said. "Sorry we're late."

"It's alright," Maka replied sort of breathlessly. She then looked down to see three little kids huddled around their father's leg. "Hey guys," she said stepping aside to let them in.

"Hey Ms. Maka!" Essie cried, running over to the woman and wrapping her arms around her legs to give her a hug. Maka stood there sort of dumbfounded as Soul laughed as he and the boys stepped through the door and closing it. Essie moved back to her father's side as Ty and Alex greeted Maka with nods and hellos which she responded to.

"We haven't missed anything?" Soul asked as they moved further into the house with Maka falling to his side.

"Not really. We were just playing some games Black Star brought."

"Cool!" Ty yelled when they entered the living room. "_Dance Central! _I wanna play!"

"Me too!" Alex said in equal excitement as they ran to one of the brown couches that surrounded the entertainment system. Earlier that morning they had moved the furniture so that there was enough space on the carpeted floor for movement. Black Star and Patti were having a 'dance off' with Patti in the lead.

"Perhaps later," Soul said walking up behind the two boys who were leaning over the back of the couch wrinkling their polo shirts, one blue and the other green. He wore a weary expression as he watched Black Star fuming, his hands shoved in his jean pockets, _'Which looked__** really**__ good on him,'_ Maka noted. Essie stayed close to her father, clinging to his red polo shirt as she took in her surroundings, her other hand playing with her light pink sundress.

Coming to stand on Soul's other side, Maka also watched Black Star folding her arms behind her back. "Black Star also has other games," she said to the boys who looked up at her. "I think one of them is _Rock Band_." She pointed with her head to a one corner where instrument like game controllers sat. That caused the boys to go into another frenzy and Soul lazily reached out to grab them both by the back of their collars before they could commandeer the controllers. "What your turn," he said when the boys looked up at him.

Both boys pouted but nodded anyway.

Just then an older woman came out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron. She looked very similar to Maka with her dirty blonde hair, bright green eyes, and a slim body. Her chest was bigger though but that was neither here nor there. Her eyes lit up when they landed on Soul. "Oh! Maka who's this?" the woman asked with a pleasant voice.

"Uh, this is Soul, Mama," Maka said, stepping back from Soul to allow the older woman to approach. "Soul this is my Mama, Kami." Soul turned and politely nodded his head.

"Nice to meet you," he said, taking the woman's hand when she had stuck it out for him with a big smile. "Thanks for having us over."

"It's not a problem," Kami said. "Maka told me the other day that she was inviting you since you were so kind to let her spend that night. She also told me how lovely your kids were." Kami looked down to see three sets of eyes looking at her. "Hi there," she said, kneeling down to Essie's level as the child hid behind her father's leg. "What's your name?"

"Essie…," the girl said shyly. "And those are my brothers Ty and Alex." She pointed to the boys who were now watching them closely. They smiled broadly to show off their teeth and together said,

"Nice to meet you Ms. Kami."

"It's nice to meet you two as well," Kami said looking at them. "Which one is Ty and which one is Alex though?"

A mischievous look crossed Ty's eyes. "I'm Alex," he said, sending a look to his brother.

"And I'm Ty," his brother added catching on quickly. Maka watched as Soul bit back a smirk and Essie hid her face to hide her own smile.

"Hmmmmm," Kami said, also catching on. "Well it's nice to meet you Ty," she sent a look to the boy before looking at Alex. "And it's nice to meet you too Alex."

Ty's smile dropped. "No fair! How did you know? Ms. Maka must have told you!"

"I didn't," Kami said standing up. "But my Maka told me you were very playful." She used her pointer finger to tap him on the nose causing him to go cross-eyed for a moment. When she pulled back, Ty grumbled a bit making Soul laugh.

"She got you there buddy," he said, placing a hand on his son's head and ruffling his hair. Ty continued to whine as his brother and sister laughed.

"Yo Soul!" Black Star said as he continued to dance breaking the moment up. "You should totally join in on this game!"

"No thanks," Soul said. "Can't dance to save my life and it's not cool to make a fool out of yourself."

"Whada ya say!" Black Star shot back, glaring at the white haired and missing steps making him fall behind more.

"And besides," Soul continued as if nothing happened. "Essie doesn't really like playing this game. So I might as well keep her company since we forgot her dolls at home."

"Oh! I think we might have some of Maka's dolls in the basement," Kami offered.

"Basement!" the three kids shouted. Essie looked up at her father excitedly. "Can we go down to the basement Papa? Pleasepleasepleaseplease!"

"Um, if it's alright with Ms. Kami," Soul said looking at the older woman with a lazy gaze.

"It's fine," she said causing the kids to shout in joy. "It's a finished basement. Here I'll show you."

Quickly she led them to one of the doors in the hallway, Maka tagging along because she was kind of curious to see what had happened to her old toys. She didn't realize her mom had kept them.

The basement looked almost identical to the living room upstairs, minus the television. At the other side of the room was a door that led to the bathroom but other than that there was nothing else except for a couple of brown boxes pushed in one corner.

"Let's see," Kami said walking over to the pile and scooting boxes around. "They should be around here- oh! Here it is!" Giving a firm tug, she tried to get one of the boxes from the top marked 'Maka's toys' that was just out of her reach.

"Here let me get it," Soul said leaving the kids to their exploring of the room. Kami moved allowing Soul to grab the box and bring it to the floor.

Taking care he opened it just as Essie came up next to him, excitedly. Inside were a flourish of Barbie doll clothes and items with a couple of clothed dolls laying on the top. "This one looks like the one I have at home!" Essie gasped as she took a doll with blonde hair and hugging it to her tightly. Soul chuckled as he shifted the toys around a bit to see if it was ok before looking at Maka with a smirk.

"Never took you for being a girly girl," he teased. "Thought you would be more into Transformers."

Maka pouted and huffed indigently.

"Well people change," Maka said back with a hint of teasing. "And you can be surprised how girly I can be now." She winked at him making him laugh. She looked to catch her mother's surprised look and she was kind of surprised at herself; she was _flirting _with a guy. This was new territory because she usually avoided men like they were the plague because of the mess her father had pulled when she was younger, permanently affecting her view on men. There was just something about Soul though that brought this out in her. It was easy just to be herself around him….

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she watched as Soul continued to play with Essie, Ty and Alex flanking his sides and peering over his shoulders into the box. What was it about Soul that made her feel this way? She wasn't sure but she would figure it out later. "So do you want to bring it up into the living room?" she asked.

Soul looked up at her again. "I don't want to cause a mess with the toys."

"It's fine," Kami said, looking at her daughter. "As long as the kids clean up the mess I have no problems with it."

"Then I guess it's cool," Soul said hoisting the box up. The kids laughed as the raced ahead and up the stairs as their father followed leaving mother and daughter alone.

"So…," Kami said sending her daughter a secretive smile.

"Not. A. Word. Mama," Maka warned.

"You like him," her mother continued ignoring her daughters warning. Maka sent her mother a glare but then broke off with a heavy sigh causing her mother to giggle.

"He's… different," Maka finally admitted with a small blush making her mother smile wider. "Just… don't take it some way ok Mama? I'm still getting to know him. I just… I don't know where this is going…."

"It's ok Honey," Kami said coming over and giving her daughter a comforting hug. "I'm just teasing. Actually I'm very happy about you finding interest in a man. I was beginning to worry that because of your father you might not want to date." Maka made a face as she pulled away from her mother.

"Please don't mention Papa," she muttered. "I don't want him in mind and ruin my good day."

"Of course Honey," Kami said. "Now come on. It's not nice to keep guest waiting. I may even be able to keep Soul's kids distracted enough for you to have a private conversation with him." She added the last part with a wink.

"Mama!"

After that everything went somewhat back to normal as they joined everyone again. For a few hours they continued to play video games before Kami called everyone to dinner. She had set up a buffet type layout with the food bringing the food she had grilled outside in one big dish stacked high with hamburgers and hotdogs. Once everyone had gathered their food, they congregated back into the living room to eat. They laughed and joked about acting like old friends. Then Kid asked Kami what she did for a living.

"Oh I work for Scythe Rose Industry. It's an international music organization. Ironic since Maka doesn't really know much about music in the first place." This caused everyone to laugh as Maka began to protest, no one seeing Soul's momentary choke on his drink except for Kid, who sent him an apologetic look.

Thinking that the conversation was over with they started to go onto other topics when Essie had swallowed what she had been eating and yelled from her position on the couch. "Hey! That's Papa's company!"

A sudden silence filled the room, with everyone staring at her. "Wh-what?" Liz finally crocked out.

"It's Papa business!" Essie said happily, a big smile across her face. "Ty and Alex told me so!"

Everyone looked at the two boys who were still eating like nothing had happened, until they noticed everyone looking at them. "What?" Alex asked innocently.

"It's nothing Alex," Soul said quickly after snapping out of his shock. He was about to change the subject when Black Star, after a thoughtful expression, said,

"Oh yeah! Now I remember, wasn't that your parents company Soul? You used to complain about it cause you said when you were younger they made you take special classes about business."

"Black Star!" Soul hissed. Both friends eyed each other before realization passed over Black Star.

"Oh that's right! Shit man sorry I forgot you didn't want anyone to know that!"

Soul groaned as he dropped his head in his right hand, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Ok wait, what is going on here?" Tsubaki said looking between the two of them.

"Yeah, kind of lost here," Liz said.

"….Scythe Rose was my parent's company," Soul reluctantly admitted. "It then fell to Wes after they died."

"And now Papa owns it!" Essie said. "Ty said so! After he saw papers on Papa's desk!"

Ty instantly froze with a large chunk of hamburger in his mouth. Slowly he turned his head to look at his father to see he was looking at him with a narrowed gaze. "Tyresias…."

"I din't mean toof!" Ty said with a mouth full of food. Quickly swallowing he looked at his father pleadingly. "I was looking for my music sheet and I thought you might have taken it with your homework cause I left it on the table! I saw a letter that's all! I didn't understand it but I saw the letters CEO and your name Papa! Alex did the rest!"

"Hey I just asked Mrs. Marie about it!" Alex said defending himself. "She was the one who told me that it means someone who owns a company!" The two brothers started arguing with each other.

"Tyresias! Alexander! That's enough!" Soul barked firmly, standing up and walking over to the two of them. Both boys instantly shut up and looked up at their father with big eyes. Soul stared at them for a moment before sighing deeply and kneeling down to their level. "I'm not mad," he reassured them quietly, placing a hand on each of their shoulders. "I just wish you came to me about it first."

"Sorry Papa," they both muttered at the same time, still not meeting their father's gaze. Soul sighed before leaning between the two of them and whispering something in their ears. Solemnly, they nodded, before hopping off the couch, leaving their food. "Hey Essie, wanna go check out the basement again?" Ty asked taking his sister's hand to spur on her decision.

"Ok," she replied allowing herself to be pulled along.

Once the kids were gone, Liz spoke out first, "What the hell is going on?" She looked at Soul with an agitated expression. "What are they talking about?"

"It's… complicated," Soul sighed, scratching the side of his head.

"How is it complicated?" Liz countered looking at Soul carefully with a frown marring her features. "You know just to inform your friends that… I don't know, 'Hey I am one of the _richest _men on earth?' Not that hard to say Soul!"

"The company isn't mine alright," Soul shot back, sending her a heated glare.

"But the letter-"

"It was a letter I got a long time ago," Soul interrupted, rubbing his forehead. "I am the _heir _to Scythe Rose Inc.. Does not mean that I own it. Hell you think if I owned the company I would be working almost every night to the clubs?"

That quickly quieted the group down. Through her shock, Maka thought Soul did have a point. If he had so much money why did he work at the clubs? She looked over at her mama who was staring at Soul with a shocked expression and wondered what was going through her mind.

"So since you are working as a DJ," Tsubaki said quietly. "That brings up the question: why don't you own the company?"

"Because of the legal mumbo jumbo with the kids," Soul replied after he looked over to the basement door to see if the kids were there. "The board didn't want a CEO with so much baggage taking over. So they said when I turn 25 I would get it. Until then, I am living off my inheritance and the money I make as a DJ."

Soul admittance, so casually said as if it was the littlest thing in the world, did funny things to Maka. She felt something that wasn't pity but when she mulled it over she realized it was admiration. This man… he had so much on his plate: college, a job, kids, and then in the future the running of a huge international music company. And yet here he was, standing in front of them acting so casual, just like any other young adult. And she thought she had it bad with just trying to finish college. How did he do it and not lose his mind?

"Well…," Kami started causing everyone to look at her, almost forgetting that she has learned that this young man was going to be her _boss _one day. "This is certainly interesting."

Everyone looked at her as if she had lost her mind. They were expecting at least a louder reaction than that. Kami just smiled as she stood and walked up to Soul. "I wasn't exactly expecting to meet my future boss," she laughed.

Soul stared at her for a moment before a big smirk spread across his face. "Heh," he laughed, shoving his hands in his pockets. "If it's any consolation, I didn't exactly plan on having that news being said."

"I bet."

"Wait, you're cool with this?" Liz said completely confused. "Why are you not freaking out?" Kami looked at the group of young adults, meeting there gaze.

"Soul seems to be a fine young man from what I've seen," she simply said. "I won't judge him based on the fact that he is the heir to the company I work for doesn't change my opinion of him. And besides it will be awhile before he becomes my boss I'm guessing."

They all sat there in a stunned silence, processing what Kami had said. Maka couldn't help but find this statement true and smiled a little. Her mom was always like this, based things on how people acted, not who they were.

"And besides," Kami continued. "Kid didn't seem all the surprised."

"Soul told me," Kid said leaning back in his seat as Liz sent him a glare. "What?"

"And you didn't tell me or Patti!"

"He was asking about how some things worked when being a CEO. You know I am heir to my father's company and Soul was just curious. I didn't feel it important to share."

"Well then!" Kami interrupted before an argument started. "Would anyone like for me to bring out dessert?"

"I would!" Black Star yelled as everyone agreed.

"Let me get the kids," Soul said walking away. "They need to finish their dinner but I'm sure they would love to have some."

Maka watched him leave before he completely disappeared. She turned and caught her mother's eyes and looked to see the older woman smiling at her before sending her daughter a wink. Maka just blushed and sent her mother a look before her attention was diverted to a conversation Patti and Liz were having.

* * *

Later that evening, after everyone had eaten and the dessert was gone, everyone was once again gathered around the game system. The room was filled with joyful talk and laughter, the previous awkward conversation pushed to the back of all their minds. The kids seemed unaffected by the events, Ty and Alex playing _Rock Band _while their sister played with Maka's dolls. Maka was sitting next to the little girl, happily playing with her when Essie looked up then around. "Where's Papa?"

Looking around it was the first time that she realized that the white haired man wasn't in the room at all. "He went outside to the back porch, Sweetie!" Patti said childishly. "Do you want me to go get him?"

"No I just wanted to know where Papa was!" She then went back to playing with the dolls. Maka, a little worried about her guest, quietly excused herself from everyone and into the kitchen where the entrance to the porch was. As quietly as possible, she opened the glass door and poked her head out.

Soul was sitting on one of the patio chairs, staring up at the night sky with a beer in his hands, the first of the night. Hearing the door open, he looked over at Maka before smirking. "Hey there."

"Hey," Maka said as she stepped outside and closed the door. The cool air nipped at her skin but not enough for her to want a jacket; in fact it felt nice because of the hot New York day. "I was worried when you weren't inside."

"Nothing to worry about," Soul shrugged. "I just needed to come outside to get some fresh air." He indicated to a chair next to him, asking her to sit if she wanted.

Slowly she approached before sitting down, pushing her skirt down as she did so. "You know it was pretty cool what your mom said back there," Soul offered before taking a sip of his beer. He made a face as the liquid went down his throat.

"My Mama has always been like that," Maka said watching him. "She's just that kind of person…. Is the beer bad?"

"No, it's just I'm more of a brandy man," Soul said picking at the beer label. "I can have a beer every now and then, just not the same though."

Maka hummed in acknowledgement. Both of them fell quiet, turning to attention to the rare starry night sky. They stayed that way for a while before Maka's question filled brain got the better of her.

"Hey Soul? Can I ask you something?"

Soul looked at her with an expression that held open curiosity and guardedness. "…Sure," he answered with a shrug as he took a sip of his beer. She could tell he was kind of tense though.

"….How… how do you do it?" Maka quietly asked, looking down at her hands as a blush crossed her face. "I mean, with everything in your life, the kids, job, and school. How do you not just go insane?"

Soul shoulders slumped as he let out a little chuckle. "It's not easy but I'm too cool to let it sweat me."

Maka frowned at that before looking up at him. "I was being serious!" she bit back. "How do you do it, Soul? You're raising three kids who aren't even technically yours. You're going to school part time and holding down a job and yet those kids love you so much. How do you do it!"

Soul stared at her for a moment with a blank expression seeming to think about her question. He then looked down at his beer bottle and began picking at the label again. "…Like I said, it's not easy, and I had to make a lot of sacrifices but… the thing that keeps me sane are the kids." He looked up at the night sky with fond smile. "Kids certainly do change a lot of things."

"But school and your job…."

"I am able to do those things because of the kids," Soul said looking at her. "I keep telling myself that if I do this, it'll be better for the kids. If I finish school I get to keep them. If I continue my job, I can give them things that they deserve."

"But what about your life! You took them in at eighteen and have been raising them ever since!"

"Maka, those kids _are _my life," Soul said looking at her. "I'll admit, yeah I really didn't know what I was doing the first year I had them. Slowly things became easier though. And yeah I don't hang out with my friends that much but I have to put those kids first. Hell, I even stopped dating."

Now that surprised Maka a little. He was a good looking guy so she thought at least he went out a little.

"What do you mean you don't date? I mean, you do everything else why not date?"

Soul snorted back a laugh before taking a sip of his beer. "I would like to see that," he said. "Show me a guy who has kids, working, going to college, _and _dating I'll say that he is probably the coolest guy on earth… besides me though. But I haven't dated in the last two years."

"Why? And what about the flirting you do at the clubs?"

Soul shot her a look like she was asking the most stupid question on earth. "Because," he started realizing that she wasn't going to figure the answer out for herself. "No offense women our age are only interested in short term relationships and if there are women who are interested in long term ones they don't want to date a guy with a family already. And it's called acting Maka, keep up the persona and people will come back to the club for more." The words were said bitterly but Maka didn't think that the resentment was towards his kids. In fact, it sounded like he had heard those lines way too many times and finally just gave up on the female half of society.

For some reason this made Maka mad. How could woman judge this wonderful man just because he had kids? And what wonderful children they were too! But then again, she could see that dating a guy with kids could be a little daunting but Soul was such a great guy….

"So if you don't mind me asking," Soul said, snapping Maka out of her thoughts. "Why are you asking about how I live my life?"

Maka felt her cheeks heat up and spread down her neck. _'Because I want to get to know you better,' _she thought. She didn't dare voice her thoughts though, instead saying, "I…. I was curious…. I mean, it seems like such a big thing compared to my problems. I thought I had it bad with just trying to keep up with my classes." She laughed a little embarrassed at her confession but was happy when Soul gave her his infamous smirk.

"Heh, well at least you get a break next week with Spring Break and all."

"Oh! I completely forgot!" Maka said in a sudden jolt of realization. Usually someone mentioned it but with exams and her hanging out with her friends less and less she completely missed it. Soul just laughed out right.

"Wow you must be a total bookworm to forget about Spring Break."

Maka puffed out her cheeks in a pout and she looked off to the side. "My exams are important to me," she defended. Her face then smoothed out as she looked at Soul again. "So what are you planning on doing?"

"Me? Nothing but working. Last week was the kids Spring Break so they go back to school next week."

"Oh that's right…," she muttered remembering New York City schools ran on a different schedule than the universities in the city. "It must be hard with the different schedules."

"Meh, I'll live. Besides, summer time is more of our 'family vacation' time."

"Really? What do you do?"

Soul smiled broadly. "Started a tradition of spending the first few weeks stopping at one beach along the coast. We're going to Myrtle Beach this year."

"I bet the kids love that," Maka laughed.

"Of course. What single dad can say they can take their kids to the beach each summer? I'm the coolest father out there." They both laughed at that.

"Well, since you don't have plans this Spring Break," Maka said once they had calmed down. "Would you like to hang out sometime?"

Soul raised an eyebrow. "Like a date?" he asked.

"No," Maka laughed her face flush and her heart rate speeding up. Oh why did she bring this up? "I really think you're a cool person Soul," she admitted quietly. "I want to get to know you better. That is… if you want to."

Soul looked at her a couple of seconds making Maka squirm in discomfort. Perhaps she was too forward? Then he smiled and the tight feeling in Maka's chest disappeared. "Yeah, that would be pretty cool."

Maka smiled before realizing how close their heads were. Somehow both of them had leaned forward into each other's space. It made her nervous but not for the reasons it usually did, in fact she kind of enjoyed this type of giddy nervousness. The setting was made even more intimate when Soul put a hand on top of her head and ruffled her hair causing her to protest and make the both of them laugh loudly. It was a perfect comfortable moment between the two of them, especially when his hand remained in her hair, when it was rudely interrupted.

"GET AWAY FROM MY MAKA, YOU PUNK!" Both young adults jumped away from each other as the fence gate was kicked open to reveal a red haired man in a rumpled suit, pointing an accusing finger at Soul. "DON'T TOUCH HER!"

"Wait the-"

"PAPA!"

The older man charged ahead, a fist raised to punch the younger, when Soul stood up, tense, and let his beer drop to the ground where it shattered. When Maka's father was close enough, Soul grabbed hold of the man's arm, yanking him forward to cause the older man to lose his momentum and letting Soul elbow the man in the face. He side stepped and letting Maka's father fall to the ground as he clutched his nose, using they one arm in his grasp to twist it behind the older man's back causing him to cry out.

"Soul!" Maka gasped completely shocked at what she saw. It wasn't so much the attack itself, he had a right since her father attacked first, but it was more of the fact that he knew such an advanced self-defense move. Soul's breathing was heavy as he continued to look at the man on the ground in suspicion.

"What in the world is going on out here!"

Everyone looked up to see Kami storming out of the house, her face worried and everyone else following behind her. Her face changed though when she saw the man lying on the ground, her eyebrows knitting together and her mouth forming into a snarl, baring her teeth. "Spirit! What are _you _doing here?"

"Kami!" Spirit wailed, tears running down his face. "Kami, I love you!"

"You should have thought of that before you cheated!"

"Maka," Soul asked, his voice tense as he held the struggling man as the two adults continued to bicker. "Who the heck is this?"

"…My Papa…," Maka muttered as an embarrassed flush crossed her entire face. Soul looked at her in surprise before letting the man's arm go. Instantly Spirit jumped up and tried to run to his ex-wife who punched him in the face. "Soul, I'm so sor-"

"YOU!" Spirit yelled when his attention was once again focused on Soul. The young man tensed, shoving his hands in his pockets with a severe glare directed at the older man. "How dare you try and touch my Maka you little bastard!"

"SPIRIT!"

"PAPA!"

"Old man…," Soul said tersely. "I didn't do anything."

"I saw you touch her!"

"Papa leave him alone!" Maka begged stepping in between the two men. Oh, why did her father have to come? "Why are you even here in the first place!"

"Maka~" Spirit gushed, going all gooey eyed. "Papa wanted to see his little girl and wanted to surprise you. I heard you laughing back here I wanted to surprise you but then I saw _that!_" He pointed a finger threateningly at Soul, who was still standing still, glaring. "Touch you and I needed to save you!"

"How the heck is me ruffling your daughter's hair cause for alarm?" Soul asked a little angry. "Get some glasses Old Man."

"Don't talk back to me boy! You wouldn't understand the protective instinct I have-"

"PAPA!" a little voice cried out from inside the house. Everyone turned to see Soul's kids struggling outside, being held back by Tsubaki and Patti. "Papa!" Essie cried, peeking through Tsubaki's arms, a little arm reaching out to Soul and her eyes perked with tears.

Quickly, Soul walked around Maka and everyone, gently pushing Tsubaki out of the way, to pick up his daughter. The little girl was trembling as she wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. "Papa, why is that scary man yelling at you?" she asked quietly as Soul soothingly began rubbing her back and bouncing her a little.

"It's nothing Princess," Soul said laying his head on hers. Alex and Ty gathered around their father's legs, gripping his pant legs, as they sent glares toward Spirit, whose jaw had dropped as he watched the scene unfold.

Slowly, Soul pulled back until him and Essie and his eyes could meet. "Go clean up," he said quietly. "Then we'll head home."

Maka's heart dropped as she watched Essie nod and Soul place her down on the ground. The three little kids went back inside to clean up the doll toys as Soul turned around, shoving his hands in his pockets as he walked up to Kami. "Thanks for having us over, but it's getting late." He offered a little smile but there was a certain darkness in his eyes that clearly indicated that he was angry.

"O-Of course," Kami said, embarrassed and angry that her ex-husband had harassed one of her guests in such a manner. "It was a pleasure to meet you Soul."

"Likewise."

He quickly said his goodbyes to everyone else. When he came to Maka, he stood farther back sending a measured to look to Spirit. Maka didn't like the distance, not after the moment they had shared minutes before, but she gave him an awkward hug before she and her mother walked Soul and the kids to the door.

With a final goodbye, and much to Maka's disappointment Soul not mentioning anything about meeting up later that week, Soul got his kids in the car before driving off. Maka and Kami watched the car drive away until it disappeared from view. They stood there on the front porch for a moment before Kami said seething, "Maka… remind me to _kill_ your father for attacking my future boss."

_'Not if I get to him before you do Mama,_' Maka thought equally angered as they both made their way back inside to have a _talk _with Spirit.

* * *

An hour later, after Maka and Kami had yelled at Spirit for a good 30 minutes before throwing him out of the house, the party was dwindling down. The party had lost much of its previous energy after Soul and the kids had left; the awkward encounter still fresh in everyone's mind. Tsubaki and Black Star had left in Black Star's car while Liz, Patti, and Kid decided to stay around and help clean.

Liz and Patti were doing the dishes while Kami worked to put the leftover food away. That left Kid and Maka in charge of putting the furniture back in place. It was fairly fast, so the two of them sat down and began to chat idly. Maka felt she wasn't the best of company at the moment, her heart still heavy and her worry taking over her. What if her father ruined her chances at getting to know Soul better? What if Soul didn't want to see her again after this? Maka just wanted to go in a corner and cry.

"Maka?"

Maka snapped out of her thoughts to see Kid was giving her a worried expression. "I'm sorry," she muttered earnestly. "I'm just distracted. What did you say?"

Kid didn't say anything at first, just continued to stare at her. "You're worried about Soul," he finally stated in a matter-of-fact tone. Maka blushed, hating how easily readable she was.

"Yeah," she admitted. "The stunt that my Papa pulled kind of has me worried Soul… won't want to hang out with me."

"Don't worry," Kid said with a chuckle. "You shouldn't. It wasn't you he was mad at, I think."

"That still doesn't excuse what my father did! And I didn't even get to apologize to him!"

"Maka it's alright," Kid said reassuringly. "Soul probably just didn't want to lose his temper in front of everyone." Maka still didn't look convinced though, making Kid sigh and pull out his phone. "Here," he continued, flipping it open and messing with it a bit before handing it to her. Maka took it and looked at the screen to see had pulled up Soul's number. "Give him a call if it makes you feel better."

"Thank you..," Maka whispered as she whipped out her own phone and put the number in. She got up, handing Kid's phone back, and quickly made her way upstairs so she could have some privacy.

She used her old room, closing the door softly, as she hit the 'send' button on her phone and putting it to her ear. She moved to sit on her former bed as the ringtone resounded in her ears, almost matching the pounding in her heart.

"Hello?" Soul's husky voice spoke quietly, after a moment.

"Hey Soul..," Maka whispered feeling like a girl talking to her high school crush.

"Maka?" Soul said sounding surprised.

"Y-yeah," Maka said hating how she stuttered. "K-Kid gave me your number so I can talk to you about som-something."

"Um ok…. Just hold on a moment."

Maka heard a shuffling sound for a couple of seconds before the soft click of something, making her wonder what Soul was up to.

"You still there?" Soul asked, his voice at a normal level.

"Ye-Yeah."

"Cool. Sorry about that. I was in the living room and I didn't want to wake the kids."

"It's fine," Maka responded with a soft smile.

"So you wanted to talk to me about something?"

"Um, yeah… about tonight with my Papa…." She heard Soul chuckle, causing her heart rate to pick up more.

"It's cool Maka. I'm not mad at you or anything. You had no control over it."

"I-I know that! I'm still sorry it happened though!" Maka said a little flustered. "Papa had no right to treat you that way."

"Hhmmm," Soul hummed in agreement. "It can't be helped though. What's done is done. I'm just sorry for having to leave so abruptly. You and your mom were great hosts." That made Maka blush. "But I was worried I was going to do something not cool if I stayed longer."

"I understand," Maka said, the tight feeling in her chest lessening a little.

"So… about next week," Soul started causing Maka's heart to pick up again. "Is that offer to hang out still open?"

"O-Of course!" Maka laughed, feeling giddy. He hadn't forgotten.

"Cool. Maybe sometime Tuesday? I'm busy on Monday."

"That's fine," she said. _'As long as I get to see you.' _"Just call me so we can set something up. You have my number."

"Right," Soul laughed. "See ya then."

Quietly they said their goodbyes before Maka reluctantly ended the call. She giggled to herself as she fell on the bed, shoving her face into her pillow to hide her goofy smile. So it wasn't a date but she was happy Soul wasn't mad at her and still wanted to hang out.

"Maka?" Looking up, Maka saw her mother enter the room. Kami stopped when she saw how brightly Maka was smiling making a small smile cross her face. "Something good happen?" she asked.

"Soul and I are going to hang out Tuesday," Maka said happily as she nodded. She stood up, brushing her skirt out, before catching her mother's mischievous smile. "We're just hanging out hanging out Mama. It's not a date."

"I never said it was, Dear," Kami laughed giving her daughter a wink. Maka blushed brightly causing her mother to laugh. "Alright. Come on. The rest of your friends are leaving; are you staying the night?"

"Nah," Maka said as mother and daughter left her former room. "I need to get back to the apartment." Her mother nodded her head in understanding, but Maka didn't really pay attention even as she left the house in her car, the happy feeling in her chest almost too much. She couldn't wait until Tuesday.

* * *

**Couple of notes: **

**1. Yes, I put Kilik in here. How could I not? But I always thought Pot of Thunder and Pot of Fire looked Hawaiian so Kilik's girlfriend is Hawaiian and his kids names are Hawaiian. Their names mean Thunder and Fire in Hawaiian. :)**

**2. For those of you wondering why the kids are happy over a basement is because this is personal experience thing. I have a little bro and sis and they are fasinated with basements since we don't have one. So that's why.**

**3. And I forgot to add that it was like a week between when Maka first went to the club to the second time. My b**

**PLEASE REVIEW! LOVES AND COOKIES GALORE IF YOU DO!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello dearies. Can you believe it? The next chapter has arrived! I hope you all enjoy it :)**

**Really quick- _Posioned Scarlet: _you don't understand. I've read most of your Soul Eater stories and they are all awesome! I can't compete! You are an amazing writer.**

**With that, unto the story!**

* * *

_~Two years later~_

As the doorman opened the door, Maka smiled him in thanks as she entered into the lobby of Soul's apartment complex. "Afternoon Ms. Maka," he said before allowing the door to close. Not having time to answer him she just nodded her head as she excitedly ran to the elevator.

Honestly, by now, all the employees that worked in the building knew her by name. Hell, it felt like she lived here more than she did at her own apartment. She giggled at that as she pressed the 10th floor button. She leaned her head back, closing her eyes, thinking back on the last two years.

After the cookout at her Mama's house, they had met up Tuesday like her and Soul had talked about. They had met up at a coffee shop near campus that morning, after Soul had dropped his kids off at school and pre-school. She had arrived there first, anxiety high and all sorts of worse case scenarios running through her head, until Soul had snuck up behind her, scaring the crap out of her. He became acquainted with her infamous Maka Chop for the first time. After that though, the two of them sat there, talking for hours, getting to know each other.

She hadn't felt as comfortable with any guy until him. He made her laugh until her cheeks hurt. Made her so angry and annoyed but at the same time not being able to turn away as he laughed at her, loving the huskiness it carried. They talked about anything and everything like two friends catching up. It was just so natural to be around him. Sure he was snarky and his sense of humor took some time to get used to but if one got past his distant attitude underneath it all was a strong man that took everything that life threw at him and made the best of it, or in some cases made it even better.

He talked about the kids a lot, telling her how Ty took flute lessons and Alex, cello. He told her how they were instinctively drawn to the instruments, as most Evans were. When she asked him about if he played an instrument he reluctantly admitted that he played the piano. When she asked if he would play for her, he instantly said 'no' saying he only played for his kids. She would lie saying she wasn't disappointed, even though she didn't really understand music she loved hearing people play the piano (a year later she would get to hear him play when she had sneaked into the apartment to surprise him for his birthday. He had been pissed at her when he found her but she couldn't have cared less, standing breathlessly at the doorway after witnessing such a powerful display of his playing).

He also talked about how he thought Essie wouldn't really follow in the steps of the rest of the Evans family but in the path of her mother, who was famous ballet dancer back in France. After hanging out with him long enough, she couldn't help but agree with him. She was just a little ball of energy that loved to dance, not what the video games taught, but whenever music came on she would jump up and beg her brothers or Soul to dance with her. Later on Essie would ask her to dance with her; she never said no to that child.

After that Tuesday, everything was history. She started hanging out with the Evans more and loved every moment of it. She grew so close to those kids and cared for them so much. It was the same way with Soul. She cared for that man, watched him as he cared and loved his kids. He was so different from the other men she knew; whether it was because of him being a father she didn't know. All she knew was that she cared for him and trusted him.

She watched his kids when he was at work. Helped out whenever she could when she saw that Soul was getting too stressed out. She helped take kids to their lessons or even sometimes took them to school. In trade, Soul would let her crash at his place when she worked late at the university, having a home cooked meal for her every time. He would help her study and help her calm down after a stressful day. Their relationship was great.

The elevator dinged indicating that she was at her floor. She opened her eyes just as the doors opened and quickly stepped out. _'And that's the thing,' _she thought as she made her way down the hall. _'I know I'm attracted to him but I don't want to ruin what we have if we dated.' _

Pushing the thought aside, she knocked on Soul's door and heard scurrying of feet before the door opened to reveal three little kids. "Miss Maka!" they all yelled as they gathered around her and pulling her into a group hug. Maka laughed as she joined them. Ty and Alex, now seven, both had grown in the past two years, coming now just right at her hip. Essie, who was now five, also grew now stopping at mid-thigh. It had been an adventure to watch them all grow, seeing as they started making their way in the world. It was a wonderful experience.

"Glad to see you make it Bookworm." Looking up, she saw Soul smirking in the doorway and she smiled up at him. His nickname for her used to piss her off but now she kind of found it cute (to a degree, when he wasn't saying it to tease her).

"Hey there Soul," she replied, letting the kids lead her through the door. "Have I missed anything?"

"Uh-uh," Ty said, answering for his father with a big smile on his face. "Papa was just making popcorn for us."

Together, they all moved further into the apartment. Nothing about the place had changed, the furniture still remaining in its original place. A few more pictures had been added to the walls and, on recommendation by Maka and Essie, Soul had added a vase full of flowers on the kitchen table.

As Soul went back into the kitchen, Maka joined the kids in the living room where a small pile of children DVDs rested at one corner of the table. It was a tradition that they had started over a year ago; each month was set up for a sort of 'movie night' but instead of actually having it at night, due to Soul working, they usually had it in the afternoon. It had been an idea Maka suggested to Soul for him to spend more time with them and somehow she got roped into it as well. She didn't really mind though.

She took a seat on the leather couch, while Ty went and put in the DVD the kids apparently had already chosen. Essie and Alex sat on either side of her, snuggling close making Maka have to move her arms around them if she wanted to keep them free. Soul came in a little while later with a big bowl of popcorn in one hand with smaller bowls stacked in the other.

She smiled up at him as she listened to the kids excitedly tell her about their day yesterday. Soul took a seat next to Essie, putting his feet on the coffee table before Ty ran over to him and sat on his other side, giving his father the DVD player remote. "Alright who's ready to watch a movie?" Soul asked snapping his kid's attention to him.

"ME!" all three kids yelled before laughing. Soul smirked and was about to hit the play button when there was a sudden knock at the door. Soul frowned, mimicking Maka's, as he looked at the door.

It didn't look like he was going to get up but then there was another knock, this one more insistent. "Let me get that," he sighed, getting up. The children whined for a few seconds but Maka took it upon herself to calm them down as Soul disappeared down the hallway to the front door.

She vaguely heard the door open but caught Soul's clearly surprised voice say, "Ms. Yumi." Instantly the three children around her perked up, all three of them sending fearful looks at each other.

Picking up on the kid's anxiety Maka quickly gathered them closer around her, reassuring them quietly that everything was fine. It seemed to ease them a bit but they all stiffened when Soul entered the room again with a tall Caucasian woman in a crisp dress suit and sharp glasses. In her hands she carried a clipboard as she looked at everything with a critical eye and a small frown.

"Ah, Miss Maka," Ms. Yumi said, also known as Azusa to others. "It's nice to see you again."

"It's nice to see you too," Maka replied as she stood brushing her skirt down. Maka had met the other social worker only a couple of times and understood why the kids called her 'Dragon Lady.' She forced a smile as she went around the couch and shook hands with the older woman before making eye contact with Soul. The white haired man stood stoically on the sidelines watching with stiff back. Though he managed to keep a cool façade being friends with him for so long Maka could see the worry in his eyes.

"It seems I was interrupting something," Azusa said noticing the children and the movie set up. Maka looked up over at her.

"We are having a sort of a movie night," Soul explained calmly, shoving his hands in his jean pockets.

"Well then," Azusa said pushing up her glasses. "I'll just make this quick." She left everyone to go upstairs. Soul walked over to his kids, silently reassuring them with his presence. They all looked wide eyed up at him but remained quiet. Maka followed Soul, arms wrapped around her back, also offering reassurance.

They heard footsteps upstairs and looked to see Azusa coming back down, writing things on her clipboard. She didn't say anything as she went past them and down the hall to the music room and Soul's bedroom. They stayed quiet until she returned, still writing before looking up at Soul. "Seems everything is fine," she said, offering a small smile. Everyone visibly relaxed. "There is something I would like to discuss with you though Mr. Evans."

Soul tensed slightly and nodded. Azusa started to head for the front door, indicating that she might have wanted privacy. Soul made eye contact with Maka and gave her a quick nod towards the kids. Maka nodded in understanding as Soul walked away and followed Azusa.

When the door closed, three sets of eyes looked up at her. "Miss Maka, what does Ms. Yumi want to talk about?" Essie asked with a little quivering in her voice.

"I don't know Essie," Maka replied quietly, patting the child's head in a reassuring manner. She hated how the children looked so scared, so rounded the couch and sat down to allow them crowd around her.

They sat there for a couple of minutes before they heard the door open again and then slam shut. Soul didn't appear for a couple of seconds like Maka had expected but when he did he looked normal, slouching shoulders and all but Maka, having known Soul long enough, could see the signs that he was in distress. His mouth was pressed down tightly and though his eyebrows were relaxed his eyes showed some kind of inner turmoil. What she didn't know and when they made eye contact when Soul came over to the couch again she silently asked what was wrong.

Soul shook his head as he sat down on the couch, indicating it wasn't really a good time to talk, before he forced a smile as he looked at his kids. "So about that movie…."

* * *

Later that night, when the kids had been put to bed, Soul and Maka were downstairs doing the dishes. Maka was washing while Soul was hand drying them, since he didn't work until much later that night. It was quiet between the two of them which worried Maka because usually Soul would be making some joke. Whatever Azusa had told him, really must have gotten to him.

Finally as Maka drained the water from the sink and Soul put the last bowl away did Maka get the courage to speak her thoughts. "Soul?"

"Yeah?" His voice sounded tense to her ears though he tried to sound casual.

"What… What did Ms. Yumi talk to you about?"

What followed was complete silence. Soul didn't turn around to face her but she watched as his shoulders tensed and his hands that lay on the counter curl into tight balls. Carefully she approached him from behind but didn't dare try to touch him. "Soul…?"

"You know… how I told you about Felia's parents? How they don't really demand for the kids to come visit them?"

"Yeah…," she replied hating how despondent his voice sounded. Soul had told her how even though Felia's parents had demanded for custody but when Soul got full custody they never tried to contact him again.

Soul sighed, hanging his head but still didn't turn around to face her. "Ms. Yumi told me they are filing for full custody."

"What?" Maka asked in a kind of shocked confusion. "They can't do that can they? I mean, they haven't even made an attempt to see the kids!"

Soul snorted. "Not if they have a judge in their pocket."

Maka felt her jaw drop. "Soul! Don't say that," Maka hissed when she gathered her wits. "There's no way something like could ever happen."

Finally Soul turned around and gave her a measured look. They both stared at each other for a while before Soul broke eye contact, looking down at the ground with a sardonic smile on his face, his bangs hiding his eyes. "I sometimes forget you didn't grow up the way I did…."

Maka didn't know how to take that back-handed comment but instead of Maka chopping him, she watched as he raised his head again, an unreadable look on his face. "Money makes the world do round," he said, his voice dead. "The more money you have, the more you can get away with things.

"I've lived the life of privilege for a long time, Maka. I've heard things, seen things, you could only ever imagine when it comes to human depravity. I've heard of cases being thrown out of court just because it would look bad on their son's record." He said that in a bitter tone, making Maka think that what he was telling her was more a personal experience rather than a second hand account. Soul made a disgusted face.

"If you get to know the right person, give them the right amount of money, they will do anything for you," Soul whispered.

"What are you going to do?" Maka asked extremely worried. Soul sighed heavily running a hand through his messy hair. Maka never looked him as old as she did then, eyes droopy and sad, mouth set in a frown, and shoulders hunched over. He looked so tired, Maka hated it.

"I have to go to France," Soul said. "Even though the kids are from English heritage, Felia's parents filed through the French courts and so I have to go there. I really don't know any one that can help me-"

"Doesn't Kid know someone? I mean, he told me about a lawyer he knew that worked in international courts-"

"That won't _do _anything Maka!" Soul hissed as he pushed himself away from the counter. "They have a judge, why else do you think they would pull a stunt like this." He pushed past her and yanked the balcony door open to step outside.

He was pissed, worried, and afraid. Everything in his face and body language said so. Perhaps Maka should have been afraid but Maka was never one to back down and this time was no different. So instead of letting him cool off by himself, she quickly ran after him, closing the door softly as she did so.

Soul had her back towards her, arms spread, back tense. She knew he heard her come out but he still didn't turn around. Slowly she approached him, wanting to offer him some comfort but unsure if words would do that. So instead she came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist tightly.

It was a rather intimate pose but Maka was only offering him comfort when he wasn't even facing her. He stood tense in her arms for a couple of seconds but slowly he began to relax and melt into her embrace. He didn't turn around but Maka felt him put one hand on hers. "I don't know what I am going to do if I lose those kids Maka," he whispered, sounding heartbroken.

"You're not going to lose them," Maka said fiercely as she loosened her arms enough just for him to turn around and face her. They made eye contact, Maka raising her head confidently. "You are going to fight for those kids, just like you did last time, and win. I have faith you will."

Soul gave her a small smile, though his eyes still looked sad and worried. "At least one of us does." He dropped his smile, his eyes growing distant. "What am I going to tell the kids? Jesus…." He tried to break away but Maka wouldn't let him. Instead she reached up with one hand and gripped his chin to focus his attention on her again.

"You listen to me Soul," she said. "You have nothing to worry about, you hear me? You aren't alone in this anymore. You have friends! Black Star, Kid, Tsubaki, Liz, and Patti! We are all going to be here for you. And if the others aren't then I promise you I will be there for you every step of the way. _We _are going to talk to the kids about it, help them understand. You'll see."

Soul stared down at her, after her passionate little speech, before a slow smirk crept across his face. "You are probably the coolest friend I've ever had Maka." He surprised her by crushing her against and burying his head into her neck. "Don't you ever forget that." Maka felt her face heat up but didn't pull back instead wrapping her arms more tightly around him, hoping by the time he pulled back her face would have calmed down.

They both stayed that way for a while before finally pulling away from each other. They smiled at each other before they let go and made their way back inside. Maka to take care of the kids and Soul to get ready for work, both knowing that no matter what they had each other's back.

* * *

Maka didn't realize how crazy the next couple of weeks would be before Soul had to leave for France. It wasn't that he had to find a place for the kids to stay (which her Mama offered for the kids to stay with her when she found out), or the fact that Soul had to meet Kid's lawyer friend on multiple occasions, or have to set reservations for his stay in France. No those things seemed very small when it boiled down to the most important thing- the kids.

When Maka and Soul sat down with the kids and finally explained to them what was going on, she did not expect the reactions that each one of them would have. It wasn't really instant but slow going. At first she thought they had handled the news very well, Ty and Alex probably understanding the situation better than their sister who cried a little but was quieted down by Soul. It wasn't until the coming weeks that Maka noticed the changes in all of them.

Essie, not surprisingly, was sticking very close to her father, but it almost seemed too close. Like how she would always have to have Soul in her sight or how she would cling to him no matter where they went, and don't get Maka started on how many nights she had to reassure the little girl that Soul would return from work.

Alex and Ty both became distant from their father, which Soul admitted hurt him deeply when him and Maka were alone. Alex wasn't so bad but he spent more time with her rather than Soul, helping her out more, anything and everything just to be closer to her. But Ty… Ty completely shut himself off from everyone. He would not spend time with anyone and if his father was in the same room then he would leave. He was cold, distant, detached. It wasn't healthy and Maka couldn't understand any of the changes that the kids were going through.

It wasn't until she was comforting Essie one night that she finally got some answers. _"Wh-What if Papa doe-doesn't com-come back," the little girl cried through her tears. "Wha-What if, if his plane crashes?"_ With that everything suddenly became clear.

Soul told her that his brother, Wes, and Felia both had died from a plane crash. They were coming back from a business trip when the plane experienced engine failure and had gone down. Anything plane related scared the kids; Soul told her though Essie was just a baby he believed that Ty and Alex had both told her about their experience even when he had told them not to. It explained their odd behaviors why Essie was being so clingy to Soul, wanting to spend as much time with him in case something _did _happen, and why the boys were separating themselves from Soul, they didn't want to get hurt if he never came back. When Maka had mentioned this to Soul, the white haired man said that's what he thought too and had some discussion with them but it didn't seem to be working, especially with Ty. Soul had explained that although Ty was the most outgoing it took a while for him to trust people (he was the last of the three that was willing to call Soul 'Papa') so it explained why he was so distant. He just didn't trust people and Soul leaving might be viewed as a betrayal.

Either way, dealing with the kids emotional responses had been a rollercoaster, and it didn't look like it was going to change on the day Soul was leaving.

She stood on the steps of her mother's house, her Mama standing to the right of her, bags to her left, and the three kids who would be staying here for the next week and a half standing in front of her. Their backs were toward her as they looked up at the man they called 'Papa' standing in front of them, telling them goodbye and promising to be back. Essie stood in the center of her brothers, trembling, trying not to cry but she couldn't stop a few tears when Soul leant down and kissed her on the forehead. She held tightly onto his sleeve before reluctantly letting go as Soul moved onto Alex.

He gave Alex a tight hug which the little boy returned. Soul pulled back and placed their foreheads together, smirking, telling the little boy to take care of his brother and sister until he got back. Alex smiled weakly but gave an affirmative before both of them let go. When Soul moved onto Ty, the young boy had turned to the side, refusing to face Soul. Though Soul kept his face stoic, Maka saw the hurt in his eyes, as he reached out and patted the boy on the head, telling him to be good. Ty didn't even give a response.

Soul looked up at Maka and Kami, offering them a smile. "Thanks for taking them in again."

"Oh it's no trouble," Kami replied with a kind smile. "You just do what you have to do and get back here as soon as you can."

"Right," Soul replied with a small laugh. Turning his focus solely on Maka, the two of them leaned toward each other and exchanged an awkward hug as the kids still stood between them.

"Be safe," Maka whispered as they pulled away, her voice thick.

"Always am, Bookworm," Soul replied with a smirk. He said his goodbyes to his kids again before slowly turning away and making his way back to his car to head to the airport.

Maka held back tears as she watched him but knew he would be back. That man didn't break promises easily; she knew that for a fact. Looking back down at the kids, she noticed Ty was now looking at his father's retreating form. His hands were curled into tight fists that were trembling, and his mouth was pulled in a tight frown. His eyes were beginning to water but he looked like he was trying to hold them back, trying to fight some internal battle within him.

As Soul's hand gripped the driver side door handle did Ty's battle finally break. "PAPA!" The little boy took off running toward the older man.

Soul spun around in surprise but when he saw Ty, he immediately dropped down to one knee letting the boy crash into him as the child wrapped his arms tightly around Soul's neck. "P-please d-d-don't go!" the boy cried, tears streaming down his face. "I-I don-don't want y-you to- to go!"

The little child continued to cry into his chest, begging the older man not to leave. Soul had wrapped his arms tightly around his son's torso, just holding him, eyes shut tightly. He only opened his eyes when he felt tiny hands on his forearm and looked to see Alex and Essie's watery faces. Immediately he unwrapped his arms just enough to where the other two kids were able to squeeze in.

Maka listened as they all continued to cry and beg, promising anything to the older man. "I promise to be good," "Please don't leave!" The words just kept tumbling from their mouths, as all Soul could do was hold them tightly, eyes shut as if he was trying to stop himself from crying as well. Maka quickly wiped a stray tear that fell from her eyes as she continued to watch the scene.

Finally, Soul pulled back and looked at their tear ridden faces. He didn't say anything, just looked at all of them until he did find his voice. "It's going to be ok," he whispered, voice thick. "I'm coming back."

"B-but wha-what if y-you don't!" Ty wailed, still not letting go of his father's neck. "Wh-what if-if you-your plane crashes!"

"Hey now," Soul said with a little smile, trying to lighten the mood. Maka noticed a tear slip out of the corner of his eye though and he was quick to wipe it away before the kids could see. "That's not going to happen ok?"

The kids tried to protest but Soul quieted them by pulling them into a tight hug. "I promise to come back," he whispered fiercely. "I'm going to come back and everything will be ok."

The three kids continued to cry until their wailing had come down to little hiccups. They pulled back from their father and looked him in the eyes. At seeing their watery eyes, Soul smiled sadly. "I'll be back," he said again. "It's not cool to make a promise and not keep it, right?"

The little children gave tiny sad giggles. "Right," Alex said, sniffing and wiping away his tears.

"Not cool," Essie repeated, giggling again.

Soul smirked before giving each of them a lingering kiss on each of their foreheads.

Feeling now it was safe, Maka left her mother's side and slowly approached the little family. Soul looked up at seeing Maka coming closer. She smiled as she watched him stand, Ty being the most reluctant to let him go, before he made eye contact with her. He reached out and wiped away a few of her stray tears. "You want another hug too?" he teased.

Maka laughed, missing his strong pianist fingers on her face but doing her best not to show it. Instead she approached him and pulled him into another hug, taking another deep breath to take in his spicy scent. "Just come back," she said when they pulled away. "I'd really hate to Maka Chop you to death if you didn't."

Soul laughed at that. "I promise to call when I'm settled in." He looked down at his kids when he said that, but Maka could tell it was also meant for her as well.

With final hugs goodbye, the kids gathered around Maka as Soul got into his car. He smirked at all of them through the window one last time before starting the engine and driving off. Maka and the kids just stood there, watching the car drive off, until it disappeared from view and they were finally forced to go inside.

* * *

The days felt like weeks to Maka. Slowly but surely she thought she was going to go insane. It wasn't because of the kids, no they were as good as kids could get; no, it was the separation from Soul that was going to kill her. During the last couple of days, even though he called every night and sometimes video chatted on Skype, it wasn't enough for her. She needed him _here, _needed to touch him, to see his smile in real life rather than through a computer screen. It was insane.

How could she have let a man get under her skin the way Soul did? This had never happened to her before with any guy because all men were the same in her mind thanks to her father. Not Soul though; he was the breath of fresh air that she had longed for.

The first few days were ok, she missed him but she was still able to get on with her life. She hung out with his kids every day, studied, went through her normal routines. She didn't realize just how much she had missed him though when he had to cut one of their phone conversations short and it felt like a crushing blow to her when she had hung up.

But still she went on but slowly she began to miss seeing his face every day, missed hearing that teasing voice. And it nearly killed her when, after she made sure that the kids had gone to bed at her Mama's house, he told her what was really going on over in France.

She listened to his pained voice as he described the proceedings, how corrupt the judge was. Telling her how he suspected Felia's family only wanted the kids because of their inheritance money. She listened to his fears that he really was going to lose the kids even with Kid's high powered lawyer friend behind him. All she could do was try to calm his fears with her voice when all she wanted to do was hold him.

It was during one that finally she came to a realization. It was probably the most awkward moment to have the realization too; it was Friday night, and the kids were spending the night at her apartment because her Mama had to go on an overnight trip to New Jersey for a meeting. Maka didn't really mind because Tsubaki was spending the night with Black Star to make room for all of them.

It was a blast, they stayed up and watched movies until Soul had called. After that Maka decided it was time for all of them to head to bed. She had set up a little camp area in the living room for all the kids but after much whining and begging she gave into their request to sleep in her bed with her.

An hour later, they all squished together on her queen size bed. She lay in the center with Alex to her right and Essie to her left with Ty at the other end. They all looked peaceful, like sleeping little angels and Maka couldn't help but smile. She leaned her head back, staring up at the ceiling, before closing her eyes. For some reason this felt _right _to her. Having these three kids gathered on her bed like they had been there for most of their life.

In her imagination, Soul would be there with them. But they weren't lying in her bed anymore, instead lying in Soul's big bed. They would sleep through the night and in the morning they would wake up and look at each other. She could see him smirking at her before leaning over and giving her a peak on the lips saying that he loved-

Maka's eyes snapped open a sudden fear gripping her deep inside. It rocked her to the core because whenever she _had _thought about her future she always did see Soul in it but never, _never, _did she imagine the he would say he loved her. She didn't believe in love; not since her parent's divorce. But slowly her mind began to replay everything between her and Soul.

A warm bubbly feeling filled the pit of her stomach when she did; she knew it wasn't lust- she remembered that feeling when she had first met Soul. She couldn't describe it; the urges to make him smile, the way he treated her and how she cherished every moment. Everything and anything about that man did this to her. And his kids! When they looked at her she felt like the best person in the world; they made her more fulfilled in ways that she hadn't even imagined.

It should have scared her, but she wouldn't have minded if they wanted to call her 'Mama.'

Slowly everything began to accumulate in her mind and she suddenly saw what she had been denying all along. She was in _love _with Soul 'Eater' Evans and his kids; against all odds that man had wormed his way into her heart and made her believe in love again. Made her think that it was possible. And she couldn't even imagine life without these kids! It would kill her to be separated from any of them.

Gripping her bed sheets tight to her she tried to imagine life without them. Suddenly the kid's fear of losing Soul hit her like a train. What if Soul's plane did crash? What would happen to the kids? Jesus, what would happen to _her_? She couldn't imagine it. No matter how hard she tried to stop it, those thoughts filtered through her mind.

She felt a tear slip from her eye, running down the side of her face to her hair line. She stared up at the ceiling trying to blink them away but the more she did the more they seemed to come. She felt her bottom lip tremble and placed a hand over her mouth to stop any noises that might escape. She loved Soul so much, what would happen if he never returned?

She shut her eyes tightly as her tears continued to fall. It seems no matter what she did they wouldn't stop so she just let them fall, letting out little gasps of breath, trying to keep quiet so not to wake the kids.

But she felt a small arm lay across her torso and she opened her eyes to look down to her right and see Alex staring up at her. She felt another arm and looked to her left to see Essie cuddling herself to Maka's side while Ty was laying in his side an arm reached out and over his sister to Maka. "It's ok Miss Maka," the older woman heard Alex say. She looked back at Alex again, seeing him smile up at her in a comforting manner. "Papa's going to come back. He promised."

Maka didn't know how he was able to figure out that was what she was crying about but it didn't matter because she dropped her hand from her mouth, letting out her first loud sob, to gather all three kids into her arms. It was rather difficult but they made due, all three kids trying to comfort the older woman as she continued to sob. In the end they all fell asleep hours later, Maka being used a pillow for Essie who lay on top of her and the boys pressed to her sides.

It was two days after that event did she get the best news ever. It was after the kids had been put to bed, after talking to their father on the phone, which Maka noticed to be a lot happier than previous conversations, and she was able to hide in the basement of her mother's house to get away from prying ears and eyes did she finally hear it. Before she could even saw 'hello' Soul interrupted her, saying,

"Maka! Guess what?" He sounded like a child at Christmas which made her very happy.

"What Soul?"

"Guess who's getting a new judge for their custody trial?"

It rocked her world when she said that and when she demanded an explanation, Soul laughed. "Alright! Alright!" he said. "Jesus woman just be quiet for like five seconds and I'll tell you!"

So she stayed quiet and listened as Soul told her that the French courts had somehow found out about the corrupt judge and immediately kicked him off the case. They were in the middle of trying to find a new one which left Felia's family scrambling to come up with a new plan.

She was kind of disappointed to hear that because of it, he might have to stay in France longer and then have to go to England because of something that came up with the company that he had to take care of. But it didn't matter because the kids were staying and they were going to continue to be a family. She wanted to tell him that she loved him then but had decided the other day that it might not have been the best plan to tell him over the phone. So she held it inside while she gushed and laughed with him at the turn of good fortune.

When she told the kids the next morning they were ecstatic about the news, and wouldn't be quiet about it all day.

A week later, Soul was still not back, but told Maka and the kids not to worry because it was mostly the new judge trying to catch up on what was happening in the case. To help keep the kids occupied Maka decided to take them to a nearby park near her Mama's house. The older woman couldn't come but Maka decided to call everyone else, namely Kid, Liz, and Patti with Tsubaki and Black Star, to hang out with her. It gave her a good reason to catch up with everyone that she had gotten close to over the two years (she was still surprised that Tsubaki and Black Star were dating but they really did love each other), since the last couple of weeks had been so crazy.

So there she was, on a lovely spring day, talking with her friends at a picnic table while at the same time keeping an eye out for Soul's kids who were playing on a nearby playground. It all felt so normal to her… except Soul wasn't there to enjoy it with them.

"So how is Soul doing?" Black Star asked taking a sip of his soda.

"Really well," Maka replied happily. "Did he call and tell you about the judge? He got a new one for his case."

"Woah! Really?" Black Star said in surprise. "That's great cause last I heard the old one was an asshole." Everyone concurred with Black Star and Maka was about to go on when she heard Ty suddenly yelling,

"PAPA!"

She whipped her head around so fast she thought she might have given herself whiplash as she saw Ty, followed by Essie and Alex, running at top speed to the entrance of the park. Maka's breath caught in her throat; there, with a ridiculously wide smirk on his face, was Soul in a pinstripe suit. The red shirt he wore brought out the color of his eyes and hair, while the suit form fitted to his body. In his normal outfit of jeans and a black leather jacket the man looked dangerous but in a suit… he looked absolutely _lethal and sexy as hell._

Maka watched as Soul dropped to one knee arms wide as Ty launched himself in his father's arms. Soul's husky laugh carried through the air, snapping Maka out of her musings as she watched Essie and Alex surround their father and began hugging him. She stood, barely believing what she was seeing, because Soul wasn't supposed to be home for a couple of more days. Yet the evidence clearly said she wasn't dreaming and that Soul _was _home.

She didn't realize that her feet were carrying her towards the family until she was practically upon them, seeing the kids happy tear streaked faces as they babbled out unintelligent words. She was about to join them, when Soul saw her and began to stand. Ty didn't let go so Soul had to stand up with the nine-year-old, wrapped in his arms and the younger boy wrapping his legs around his father's waist, head buried in Soul's shoulder as he continued to cry. Essie wrapped her arms around Soul's right leg, hiding her face there while Alex had a hand gripping his father's left pant leg allowing everyone to see the thousand watt smile that graced his face.

When Maka and Soul made eye contact and Soul's smirk seemed to grow bigger. "I see they missed me," he said, though she could he was also happy to finally be home. She laughed as she wrapped her arms behind her back to stop herself from yanking him into her arms and kissing him like she wanted too.

She didn't have to though when Soul held one arm out to her. Without thinking, her feet carried her forward and gave him and awkward hug, hiding her face in his shoulder next to Ty and taking a deep breath to breathe in Soul's natural spicy scent. She felt giddy all inside when Soul placed the top of his head on hers; Soul was home and she was wrapped in his arms. This was true happiness.

But of course it had to come to an end when everyone gathered around them, welcoming Soul back. Soul slowly removed his arms from Maka, greeting everyone warmly.

Soon the group was sitting back at the picnic table, Soul sitting in the center between Maka and Tsubaki, balancing three kids on his laps who were happily eating some ice cream Kid had gotten for them. "Man," Black Star said watching Soul. "How can you balance three kids on your lap?"

Soul smirked. "Practice my friend. That, and I'm just that cool."

Everyone laughed at that before Maka turned to Soul. "We weren't expecting you back so soon," she said. "What happened?"

Soul's smirk grew as he looked over at her before looking at everyone else. "So you know about the new judge right? Well after he finally looked over the case he called us together and basically chewed Felia's family out!" He laughed, looking very smug. "Said they had no right to pull me back in court and all that jazz. It was cool!"

"Dude that is awesome!" Black Star laughed.

Soul looked over at Kid. "Your lawyer friend was a big help by the way. He still in France making sure Felia's family can't do anything like this again. He also says hi."

"I'm glad," Kid replied, folding his hands on the table, a small smile on his face.

"Anyway," Soul said continuing. "So after the case was thrown out, I went to England to talk to the board of the company. They were just reminding me about taking over the company in a couple of years and all the jazz, nothing big really. I just wanted to get home soon that I hopped onto the first flight, hence the suit." He made a face, clearly not liking to wear it. "Can't wait to get out of this thing."

"But it looks good on you," Maka blurts out before she can stop herself. She blushed ten shades of red and looked down at her lap as her friends laugh, not believing she said that out loud.

She heard a dark chuckle that sent chills down her spine before hearing Soul say quietly, "I'll have remember that."

She dares herself to look up and look at Soul. Immediately her breathing stopped; Soul still had his signature smirk on his face but his eyes were a darker shade of red that she has never seen before and filled with some kind of look she can't place. Once he sees her looking at him, he turns his head away and Maka found she could breathe again, though her face is still hot.

The encounter left her mind reeling. Did Soul feel something for her too? Maka didn't have time to comprehend what that meant as Tsubaki and Liz pulled her away from her thoughts into a conversation. It isn't until later that night, after she and Tsubaki are finally home after their eventful dinner with everyone that she can finally think about what had happened between her and Soul at the park.

Laying on her bed, she stared up at the ceiling before a smile pulled at her face. Soul _defiantly _had some sort of feelings for her if that look told her anything. What it was she didn't know but she was willing to finally lay her heart out to him and find out. Now the problem….

How the hell was she going to tell him?

* * *

**Sorry if the time skip is disorianting but honestly this story is very short. But I felt the story need drama so I created drama :D **

**Until next time my pretties**


	5. Chapter 5 and Epilogue

**YAY FINAL CHAPTER! I would like to give thanks to everyone who reviewed and to everyone that favored the story. It always made my day whenever I saw that I had such wonderful reviews in my email. I love ya'll! **

**And a BIG special thanks to Lueur-de-Laube for editing this story and making it WAY better :) You are awesome my friend!**

**Anyway, onward! Enjoy! 3**

* * *

Maka sighed heavily as she once again stared out at the flashing lights and pulsing bodies on the dance floor. The club was pounding with music but Maka found no liking for it because Soul wasn't the deejay at the moment. She glanced over at Tsubaki, who was caught up in talking to her boyfriend before he rushed off somewhere and faced her again, sigh a humor filled sigh.

"What's wrong?" Maka asked.

"Nothing. Black Star just being Black Star again." Maka snorted.

"How do you put up with his crazy antics somedays?"

"I love him," Tsubaki simply stated, with a small smile on her face.

Maka felt a stab at her heart. She wished she could be that happy. It had been a little over a month since Soul's return and she had yet to tell him about her self-realized feelings. It wasn't that she didn't have the opportunity to, which was difficult enough with three kids, but whenever they _did_ have time alone she ended up getting cold feet from her own self-doubt. What if he didn't like her that way? What if this was all in her head? Everything about these feelings and confessing to him were scaring her shitless and she didn't know who to handle it.

Oh sure, she thought about telling her girlfriends but she didn't think they could offer any advice and Maka was embarrassed to. So instead she held them all inside, tormenting herself.

She cast a glance up at the clock on the wall, the numbers flashing the time in red. Soul would be on in an hour. "I'm going to see if Ragnarok will let me see Soul real quick," she said, standing up. Tsubaki gave her a small smile and nodded to her as Maka walked over to the end of the bar where the owner of the club was talking to his girlfriend, a shy but sweet pink haired woman by the name of Chrona. Maka liked her and Chrona was really good for Ragnarok, calming his temper.

"Ragnarok!" Maka called, catching the man's attention.

The big man turned his head, looking away from the conversation him and Chrona were lost in. "What do you want Maka?" he grumbled, clearly not liking the interruption. Chrona sent Maka an apologetic look as she shyly reached out and laid a hand on his arm, giving it a gentle squeeze. Ragnarok cast a glance at her, understanding the message as he relaxed in his stance a bit.

"Don't be so rude," Maka said teasingly. "I'll leave you be in a bit. I just wanted to know if it's ok if I can see Soul before he starts deejaying."

"Yeah, yeah. Doors behind the deejay booth. Now scram." He then turned away to look back at Chrona. Said, woman sent Maka another apologetic look but Maka just smiled soothingly at her before running off, excited about seeing Soul.

To get to the area where the employees stayed until work, Maka had to cross the club to the other side, having to pass the rowdy crowd. She stuck close to the wall, not meeting any trouble and was able to approach the door and slip through unseen.

Instantly she was greeted with the round of husky laughter. She didn't have to look for, seeing Soul leaning against the wall in his signature yellow letterman jacket and sweatband, his maroon pants hanging to his figure enticingly and one foot, dressed in his oddly yellow and black boots, resting against the wall while the other supported him. He was talking on the phone with a big smirk on his face and his red eyes filled with mirth. It stole Maka's breath away to see him in his full deejay gear, in any outfit for that matter, just as long as he was in the same room with her.

Soul must have heard the door open because he turned his head to her direction. She watched his eyes widen in surprise before going back to normal and his smirk growing across his face and a little spark of _something_ flashing in his eyes. With his free arm, he indicated for her to come and stand next to him while however was talking continued to ramble on the phone. Maka bit her bottom lip, hating to intrude and because of the look Soul had sent her, but against her will her legs moved toward him.

Coming to stand next to him she watched as Soul took the phone from his ear and switched it to loud speaker. Instantly, three children's voice filtered through. "Oi," Soul said loudly cutting through all three voices. "Miss Maka's here. Say 'hi' guys."

"Hi Miss Maka!" Soul's kids called through the phone.

"Hi everyone," Maka laughed leaning forward to speak clear into the phone. Inevitably she also leaned in closer to Soul catching the spicy scent that was so naturally him. "Happy Birthday Essie! I hope you have fun at your sleepover tonight." Technically it wasn't really the young girl's birthday, that was the next day, but since Soul had to work tonight and not on the girl's birthday, they had set it up with Maka's mother to have a sleepover at the older woman's house while the boys slept over at another friend's house. This way Soul had his kids all to himself tomorrow, but right now he was having a conference call with them to wish them goodnight.

"Thank you!" Essie laughed. The children then continued to chat about their day without further promoting, as kids are wont to do. During the exchange Maka hadn't realized that Soul had wrapped his free arm around her waist until she felt a hand resting on her hip. She looked at the hand before looking at Soul with a questioning gaze; the white haired man just shrugged, as if to say 'Why not?' Maka certainly wasn't about to complain, instead leaning into him more.

It crossed her mind that if anyone walked in on them, they would look like a happy and content couple talking to their kids. It warmed her inside, biting back the hurt that they weren't, in fact, a couple. Oh how she wished they were….

"Oi, Essie. You shouldn't keep your guests waiting for the birthday girl," Soul said. "That goes for you too, Ty, Alex. Don't make your host wait for you. I'll see you guys tomorrow, ok?"

The kids whined a bit but then said their goodnights before they hung up their phones. Maka noticed Soul still hadn't removed his hand from her hip as he put the phone away and didn't look like he was about to move it anytime soon. That was fine by Maka as she leaned on him fully, resting her head on his shoulder. "I really wish I didn't have to work tonight," Soul grumbled.

"I know," Maka said, her heart reaching out to his. "But you have another year and then all of this will be over with."

Soul grunted in response, still not fully placated. "Cool outfit by the way."

Maka felt herself smile, happy to catch Soul's attention. It was a white outfit she recently obtained and was probably the most risqué thing she now owned. The end of the outfit fell at the top of her thighs, the material clinging to them tightly so that it wouldn't ride up. It remained tight to her body, showing off her hips and thin waist, until it reached her breast area where it loosened. The rounded neckline went up high, covering her breasts and collarbone. The sleeves of the dress were also loose but at the top of both sleeves, running from the collar of the dress to the end of the sleeve, was a zipper. It was the reason that it made the outfit so daring, because if someone decided to unzip both of them they would end up causing the top of the outfit to fall off of her. She wouldn't mind if Soul did that actually.

"Thanks," she replied.

The two of them remained quiet after that, simply basking in the moment with each other. Then it hit her. Maka was finally alone with Soul, no interruptions, nothing. She swallowed to try and wet her suddenly dry throat as she looked up at Soul's face. His head was leaning back against the wall, his eyes closed and a small smile on his face. Maka felt her heart speed up and the unguarded expression of contentment he wore. God, did she love this man. "Hey Soul? What time is it?"

Soul frowned, catching a hint of nervousness in Maka's voice that wasn't usually there, but rummaged through his jacket pocket and pulled out his phone. He glanced at the time, nearly cringing. "It's forty-five minutes before I have to get to work," he muttered. "But that really make it more like fifteen since I have to fix everything that the previous deejay set up." He started to remove his hand but Maka caught it before he could. Looking down, Soul saw an unreadable expression in Maka's eyes.

Taking a deep breath, Maka gathered up all the courage she could muster. It was now or never. "I need to talk to you real quick."

Soul raised an eyebrow but didn't comment as he nodded. He then unwrapped his arm from around her waist before taking ahold of her wrist to drag her to the area where employees usually waited for their shifts to start. The look on her face kind of indicated that she wanted to talk in private.

Leading her inside, he turned around and locked the door for better privacy. He turned around to look at Maka. She had wrapped her arms behind her back, her bottom lip caught between her teeth. She shifted on her high heeled feet, caught between trying to look confident even though she was nervous. Soul didn't understand; she was sending him mixed signals. He wasn't nervous, but could sense that what she wanted to talk about was important. "Maka are you alright?" Soul asked, approaching the young woman.

Maka closed her eyes, trying to catch up with her rapid heartbeat. It was almost too much but she had to get this off her chest. She wasn't the type of person to live with the 'what if's in life. She opened her mouth to talk but nothing came out.

She tried again. Nothing came out.

"Maka?" Soul asked, starting to worry. But his voice cut through the panic in her mind and she grabbed a hold of it before it slipped away. "Maka what-"

"I love you!" she blurted out. Quickly she turned around, more to hide her red face than to face Soul's shocked expression. "And… I mean- more than as a friend." She felt tears start perking at the corner of her eyes but refused to cry as she went on.

"I've… felt this way for a long time but I was always… afraid to admit it. I just… I just needed for you to know that I don't care that you are from a rich family. I don't care that you have kids. I just… want you! I want to be there for you. And I want to be with those kids-"

Suddenly she was cut short as she was spun around and a pair of lips covered hers. She gasped staring wide-eyed at Soul's closed ones. She watched his eyes as they slowly opened when he pulled back. He stopped just a few inches away from her face, as they both stared at each other, eyes full of want, lust, and love. "You don't have to talk anymore," he whispered. "Because I feel the same way."

"Really?" Maka asked, just as quiet.

"Really," Soul said a wide smirk crossing his face. "I want you. I have for a really long time but-"

Maka cut him off, smashing their lips together. He didn't need to tell her. She understood. He wasn't sure if she wanted a man with kids. Well, she did; all that and more.

Closing her eyes, she enjoyed the feeling of his lips finally on hers. They moved against each other in an innocent fashion, just testing each other's boundaries. Then Maka felt Soul's lips parting slightly and felt something new press against her lips. Eagerly she opened her mouth and her tongue slipped out to entice his before darting back into her mouth. She heard Soul groan as his tongue pushed back against hers and followed it back into her mouth where it wrapped around the appendage.

Maka moaned as she felt Soul's arms go around her waist and pulled her firmly against him. In return Maka threaded her fingers through his hair and under his sweatband to get access to more of it.

Light kisses soon became heavier as Soul's hands began to explore her body. They started slowly mapping out her back and sides as one of Maka's hands left Soul's hair to return the favor by wandering over his strong shoulders. They broke apart to catch a quick gasp of air before they reattached their lips again, this time at a more frantic pace.

They continued to explore each other, letting their mouths and hands say what they couldn't when Soul let out a growl, a good to honest growl, before he grabbed her by the back of the thighs and hoisted her up. She gasped as he rushed over to the only table that was in the center of the room and placed her onto it before he pushed up the material of her dress over her thighs until it rested on her hip. She moaned as he lightly brushed her trembling flesh in a teasing manner, just stopping at the edge of her white, lacy boy shorts.

All Maka could do was feel the emotions swamp her and hold onto Soul's body as an anchor. This wasn't like her, and had it been anyone but Soul she would have slapped the guy, but it was Soul and she had wanted this for so _long_. She just couldn't find it in herself to make him stop, since this clearly showed Soul wanted her that way too. Their hearts already belonged each other, why not their bodies?

All thoughts ceased when Soul broke their heated kiss and began to leave small kisses across her cheek, jaw, and neck before he latched himself to the juncture of her neck and shoulder. Maka whimpered as he lightly bit down on her neck and started sucking on the area. "Soul…."

Soul growled again as he stepped between her parted legs, pressing his rapidly growing arousal against her heated core. Maka gasped at the sensation, her legs instinctively wrapping around his hips to keep him in place. She felt Soul chuckle darkly against her heated skin as he abandoned marking her and let his tongue run up her neck. When he reached her jaw he peppered wet kisses on her skin before he kissed her deeply again. In response, Maka ground their hips together, moaning when Soul gripped her hips tightly to stop her.

"Now, now Maka," Soul admonished when he pulled away from their kiss. He locked eyes with her, their faces only a few inches apart. "If you do that I won't last long." Maka shivered at the hidden promise, Soul's husky voice had dropped down a few octaves that made him sound even sexier, which only added to her arousal.

She smiled at him saucily before she nipped at his lip. "I don't mind…," she whispered, hoping it sounded sexy. It seemed to have the desired effect because Soul let out another growl, his red eyes darkening into a deep red, before he slammed their lips together again. Maka mewled in delight.

The hands that were resting on her hips moved down to her thighs, so close to her underwear. His fingers teased her, skimming the edge but not going any further like she wanted. She was about to break their heated kiss to demand that he stop playing with her when she felt his long pianist fingers slip under the fabric.

"Soul! Get your ass out here!"

Maka gasped as the private moment was suddenly ruined by Ragnarok's voice that came through the closed door. Soul growled angrily, wiping his head towards the door, giving it a glare. "Damn," Soul cursed quietly removing his fingers from Maka's underwear much to the young woman's disappointment.

Maka didn't know whether to cry because of the moment being ruined, or to go outside and beat the shit out of Ragnarok, or to just die of embarrassment. She hadn't really planned on going _this_ far when she thought about confessing but_ damn_ was that man a good kisser.

Soul looked back at her and she was happy to see he was a little out of breath like she was. "Think if we're quiet he'll leave?" Soul asked with his infamous smirk on his face.

Maka was about to answer when there was another pounding on the door. "Open up, you bastard!"

Soul sighed dejectedly. "…I really don't want to go to work now," he grumbled, reaching behind him to detangle Maka's legs.

"Hey Soul?" The white haired man looked into Maka's eyes, catching her warm expression. "I love you."

Soul stared at her for a moment with an awed expression, still not used to the words leaving her lips, before he smirked. "Love you too," he said, leaning down and giving her a quick peck on the lips. "Now you should get going."

"What about you?" Maka asked, still not removing her legs from his hips, even when he added pressure indicating for her to do so.

"Unlike you," Soul replied. "I have a tendency to show my arousal."

Maka blushed but looked down to see a rather nice bulge in the front of his pants. She was greatly satisfied that_ she _could do that to him. A dark chuckle was all the warning she got before Soul's lips were pressing against hers forcefully. When he broke the kiss, she had to take deep breaths to calm herself as he placed his lips right next to her ear. "But I need you to promise," he whispered sexily. "That you'll keep _this_ ready for me."

Boldly, he slipped his fingers under her underwear, running one finger along her wet slit before pulling away. Maka moaned at the loss but nodded, too caught up in the sensation he caused to actually talk. He didn't even have to ask; she shivered at the thought of actually making love with him tonight.

Soul pulled away, pulling her down to the ground to stand. Quickly, she fixed her outfit before she looked up at him. They both smiled at each other, giving each other a lingering kiss, before Maka walked away with a goofy smile on her face.

She nearly had forgotten about Ragnarok until she opened the door to reveal the tall man. He blinked down at her in surprise before a slow smile crept across his face. Maka blushed, brushing her hair with her fingers, mumbling something as she ran past him back into the club.

* * *

Back in the room, Soul was also wearing a goofy smile as he tried to calm himself down. God damn, he never thought that this would happen to him. He had planned to be a single father for the rest of his life, his heart taking too many hits after women would reject him just because he had kids. When he had first met Maka he wasn't really look for a relationship, hell he wasn't looking to fall in love! But she slowly wormed her way into his heart, more so than any other person in his life, besides his kids.

He didn't remember when he finally admitted to himself that he was in love with Maka. It just sort of happened; he imagined that she would be his wife and they would grow old together like in some sappy love story. But he had been afraid, afraid that she wouldn't feel the same way, and yeah she was great with his kids but to actually start a relationship? Never would happen.

_'I kind of like that I am wrong though…,'_ Soul thought happily.

Just then the door opened, revealing a smirking Ragnarok. Soul sent the man a deep glare, causing the other man to smile more, whereas Soul shoved his hands in his pockets trying to pretend nothing sexual had happened. "Glad to see you finally revealed your feelings to her," Ragnarok said, crossing his arms over his chest. "Although you could have done it at a better time."

"Can it Rag," Soul bit back. "I'm not exactly happy with you at the moment."

"Awww did I ruin the moment?" Ragnarok teased.

Soul just sent the other man a glare before turning around to grab his laptop that was lying on the table. "….What are you doing?" Ragnarok asked, watching his friend and employee.

"What does it look like? Going to work," Soul replied facing his friend, one hand shoved in his jacket pocket, the other one holding his laptop. He raised an eyebrow as he watched Ragnarok's eyebrows narrow together and a fierce frown pulled at his lips.

"Are you kidding me?" he said. "You got a hot woman out there, just waiting for you to boink her, and you are telling me you're going to work?"

"….'Boink?' Really?"

"What can I say? Chrona is rubbing off on me, and don't change the subject!"

Soul sighed heavily. "What do you want me to do Rag? I need the money. I got bills to pay and kids to feed!"

"I'm expecting you to ask me for the night off!"

That stopped Soul short. "…Wha-"

"You heard me Soul!" Ragnarok said in an exasperated manner. "You haven't taken a night off in how many years? Jesus, one night is not going to kill you! And when is the last time you are going to get an opportunity like this? The kids are out of the house and it's still early to do some 'fun'. Get it together! And besides, the deejay right now owes you for all the times he flacked out on me and you had to pick up the slack." The dark skinned man smiled victoriously; clearly he had thought this out before stepping into the room, which impressed Soul greatly.

"Chrona really is rubbing off on you," Soul said, still sort of awed at his friend. "You aren't usually this _nice_."

Ragnarok glared at Soul. "Whether you like it or not, you are one of my only friends, you bastard. Believe it or not I can be nice to them when I want to. Now are you going to take this opportunity to be with your woman tonight or not?"

Slowly a smirk crept across Soul's face; he didn't need to be asked twice. "You're way cool Rag. Thanks."

"You're welcome. Just don't go around tell the others about this conversation ok? I have an image to uphold."

Soul laughed at that, watching as Ragnarok smirked, wishing him good luck, before he exited the room. Soul hurriedly went over to his bag to pack up, pulling out his cellphone as he did so. He paused though when a sudden thought struck him; he didn't want Maka to think that tonight was just about having sex, it was about the two of them finally taking that final step. He had to be sure.

So snapping out of his reverie, he quickly sent her a quick text and hoped for the best.

* * *

Outside in the club, Maka was once again at the bar, a small blush on her face as she thought about what she and Soul had done in the back room. She decided she wasn't going to be embarrassed about it, after all Soul and her were consenting adults, and the warm look Soul had given her told her that he just didn't want her for sex, this was something deeper. It made her undeniably happy. So instead she came to the conclusion that she was going to beat Ragnarok's ass for ruining their moment!

"Maka!" Snapping out of her thoughts, the young woman spun her head to see Liz and Patti heading her way. Kim actually had a date with her new boyfriend Ox, which appeared to be an actual relationship instead of a fling, and Jacqueline was hanging out with Kilik and his kids tonight.

"Hey there," Maka said, trying not to act like she was having perverted thoughts of her and Soul making love. "Glad to see you all could make it. Where's Kid?"

"Parking the car," Liz said casually, slipping into the seat next to Maka. "Where's Tsubaki and Black Star?"

Maka nodded towards the dance floor and both sisters looked to see the couple was dancing near the stage. Turning back to Maka, Liz asked, "So what are you going to do tonight? Sit here at the bar as usual and ogle at Soul?"

Patti laughed while Maka sent the older woman a glare which was turned toward Ragnarok when he entered the bar. All he did was smirk at her before taking care of a customer. Turning her attention back to Liz, she was about to respond when her phone went off in front of her.

Quickly she grabbed it, and was happily surprised to see it was from Soul. Without a word she opened the message and as she began to read, it sort of shocked and touched her.

**Are you sure about this? Tonight, I mean. I don't want you to think it's just about sex.**

Maka felt herself smile. Soul was asking if she was ready and giving her a way out. But she wasn't the type of girl to back out of something she wanted, and damn it, she wanted all of him. With a secretive smile she replied back.

**I know it's not. And I'm sure this is what I want. I want to be with you, not just for tonight but every night and day.**

She winced at how cheesy the ending sound but it was the truth. _'Maybe I should lay off the romance novels….'_ Her phone went off again and she quickly opened it.

**My bike. 5 mins. Rag gave me the night off.**

Maka went wide eyed before she quickly got her butt in gear. She didn't need to be told twice. She gathered her purse and said a rushed goodbye to her friends as she ran out of the club but not before sending Ragnarok a thankful nod.

* * *

Arriving back at Soul's apartment couldn't come sooner. The ride was torturous because Maka had decided to be a good girl and not molest Soul while driving through the city. She had been a good girl when Soul had to stop at a convenience store for condoms and when they passed through the doors of the lobby. She really tried to be a good girl until they reached his apartment but when the elevator doors closed she couldn't stop herself from attacking Soul and kissing him passionately on the mouth.

A tingly feeling went down her spine as she felt Soul's laughter rumble through her body. One of his arms wrapped around her torso, pulling her close, while one hand rested on her hip, as the grocery bag weighed his arm down. Maka wrapped both her arms around his neck and latched her fingers in his hair to keep him in place. Their lips moved frantically against each other, trying to express their passion. Before the kiss could lead anywhere, the elevator dinged indicating that they had arrived at their floor.

Instead of backing off, Maka jumped up and wrapped her legs around his waist. "Woah!" Soul yelped, breaking their kiss and his hands went up to steady her. "Someone's impatient."

"You have no idea…," Maka muttered before she kissed him again.

When the doors opened, Soul stumbled out still carrying Maka and kissing her. He hurried over to his door and pushed Maka against it to hold her up while he fished his keys out of jacket pocket. He had to break their heated kiss but that didn't bother Maka that much as she latched onto his neck. She sucked and licked at the hot skin, loving how Soul's breaths came out in small pants and how his body shuddered against hers. She heard the jingle of his car keys as he tried to find the key that opened the door but was greatly distracted by her lips.

"Woman," Soul growled gruffly. "If you don't stop, I swear I will take you up against this door." A sort of thrill ran down Maka's spine at the thought; she actually wouldn't have minded that. But she wanted this first time to be special, all the other stuff would have to wait, so she backed off, breathing heavily, to let Soul open the door.

It didn't take too long and both of them disappeared through the door. Soul kicked the door shut and skillfully locked the door with one hand while the other rested on Maka's firm ass to steady her. He didn't bother to place the keys in the proper place but just let them drop to the floor as their mouths molded together as they moved further into the apartment.

Maka's hands began to claw at the strap of his shoulder bag, wanting it off, to get to his jacket and to that chest she had always fantasized about. The two briefly broke apart and she pulled the bag from his body before letting it fall to the floor and attacking his lips again. Breaths and tongue melded together as Maka's hands worked the zipper of his jacket.

She was excited when she was able to pull it down and finally able to brush her fingers over his heated flesh. Soul admitted to her once that he didn't wear a shirt underneath his jacket when he deejayed since it got too hot. It's what she was counting on as she racked her fingers down his scar, a scar he told her he got when he was in a motorcycle accident.

Soul hissed, his feet stumbling at the onslaught of pleasure at what she did, causing him to shove her roughly against the wall that led to his bedroom. "God damn!" he spoke, breaking the kiss briefly before he relocated them on Maka's neck. He bit down harshly when Maka pushed her hips forward, right onto his hard on.

"Ah! Soul!" Maka mewled as she pushed her hips forward again. Her hands practically tore off his sweatband and sighed as her fingers laced through his hair fully.

Soul growled in pleasure as he pushed them both off the wall and attempted to make it to his room again. It wasn't easy, especially with the way Maka withered against him, rubbing her hands over his chest enticingly. He could have just taken her in the hall, but he wanted to do this right.

So determinedly, he managed to make it to his bedroom, not bothering to close the door, and to his bed where he unceremoniously dropped the young woman in his arms. Maka at first squeaked in surprise but then giggled when she realized where she was. Looking up she couldn't have seen a sexier sight. Soul was panting heavily with a smirk on his face as he let the plastic bag fall to the floor before ripping off his jacket. There was a predatory glint in his eyes that caused her heart rate to increase in excitement.

She didn't know it but Soul was thinking similar thoughts as he looked down at the woman he loved. Her loose hair was splayed around her head, her lips swollen from his kisses. He felt great satisfaction in the fact that it was _him_ that caused her to look this way, and if he had any say in it, he would be the last. He watched as her talented tongue slipped out of her mouth to wet her lips.

He growled at the sight before leaning over her, placing his arms on either side of her head for support. His breath caught in his throat when he felt her hands on the waist of his pants before they slowly traveled upward. His heart softened when she brushed her fingers over the tattoos of his kids, a soft, caring look on her face. "You know I'm gonna have to get a new one added," he whispered.

Maka looked up at him, her green eyes wide. "Oh?" she said playfully, a little smile coming across her face. "Who are you going to add?"

"You, you little bookworm." He then leaned down and pressed their lips together.

Maka felt a burst of happiness, the fact that he was going to get a tattoo of her 'soul' meaning so much to her because it showed how much he cared for her. Their current kiss wasn't a passionate as the others but was still full of love. It was sweet but soon it turned heated as they started to obey their bodies' demands.

Soul climbed onto the bed, maneuvering the both of them until they were in the center of the bed. Maka's hands began to wander over his tattooed back, trying to find out what would cause him the most pleasure while Soul's mouth strayed from her lips down to her neck.

Maka panted heavily, enjoying the feeling of Soul's body on top of hers finally. She was so entranced by him that she didn't feel him smirk against her skin and his hands, which had been kneading her thighs, travel upwards until they reach one of her shoulders. Those talented fingers unzipped on side of her dress before traveling across her collarbone and unzipping the other shoulder. She was surprised when he suddenly pulled away but was even more surprised when she felt the cold air on her chest.

She looked down to see, Soul had peeled away the top half of her dress, revealing her white strapless bra. Her face turned a little red at seeing her nipples poking out from under the fabric but Soul didn't seem to mind as his hand came up and hovered just a few inches about her breast. Shyly, she looked up to see he was looking down at her, his face asking permission.

She slowly nodded her head and gasped as his entire hand encompassed her right breast. He leaned forward again and captured her lips, his tongue slipping inside her mouth, while his hand began to knead her small breast.

She had always been self-conscious about them but right now it didn't really matter to her with how he was treating them. _'And he hasn't even taken my bra off!'_ she thought as a wave of pleasure made her shudder.

Soul's other hand rested on her thigh, stroking the flesh soothingly before moving up. She sucked in a deep breath, thinking he was going to go under the hem of her dress but was surprised when he bypassed it and continued upward. _'What is he… oh. OH!'_ His hand slipped behind her back and making his way to her bra.

Eagerly she arched her back to help him further and sighed when the bra became unhooked by his talented fingers. Soul pulled back from their kiss again and with it, his hands, baring her completely. Her old self-conscious returned as he stared down at her; she just wanted to cover her chest with her arms but resisted.

"I know they're small…."

"Maka they're perfect." To prove his point he leaned down over her breast. Her breath caught in her throat as she felt his hot breath ghosting over her left nipple. She didn't understand why he didn't do more, she wanted more damn it! She was about to voice this thought but was cut off when something wet circled around the nipple. She gasped, throwing her head back.

It had been so long since a man had touched her that way and she thought she died and gone to heaven when his lips completely engulfed her perky nub. His lips were rough and she felt his sharp teeth nip at her but not hard enough to hurt. He was slowly going be the death of her, especially when he pushed his hips on hers and she felt the prominent bulge. She pushed her hips up to meet his, wanting more.

Soul chuckled a little, trying to keep his cool, as he abandoned her one breast to kiss his way to the other where he gave it the same treatment. But he could feel his control slowly begin to slip away, he wasn't going to last long if she insisted on swerving those hips the way she was. He groaned before he growled. _'God damn this woman.'_ He wanted to do this right but she was making it very hard.

His pants were painfully tight against his arousal. He wanted his pants off but more importantly, he wanted Maka's clothes off. So taking the initiative he grabbed the part he had already taken off and began to pull the rest slowly down. His impatience got the better of him and when he did pull the dress down past her hips, his fingers sneakily grabbed her underwear with it.

Much to Maka's dismay, Soul removed himself from her breasts. That was until she felt the cool air hit her lower region. She sucked in her breath looking down as he removed the rest of her dress along with her panties. She attempted to hide herself at first using her thighs and hands, at least until he had thrown her articles of clothing somewhere in the room. She felt a light touch on her thighs and looked up at him.

"You don't need to hide," he whispered. He slowly began to massage her thigh while his other hand lifted up one of her legs onto his shoulder. He kissed her calf sensuously, using a bit of his tongue, while his hand also massaged it.

She shivered at the contact and slowly began to feel her body begin to relax. "Soul…." The young man smirked against her skin as his hand abandoned her thigh, joining its partner now at her high heel. His kiss traveled down her ankle where he swirled his tongue while his hands unhooked the straps. It surprised her when he placed a hot, open-mouth kiss on the top of her foot before he kissed his way down her calf and thigh with similar kisses.

For a moment she thought he was going to place a kiss on the one place she wanted to be touched the most but was disappointed when he completely bypassed it and kissed up her other leg. It was pure torture at its best when he finally removed her shoe and laid it down. She looked up at him pleadingly and nearly smacked him when he smirked down at her. But that thought left as he leaned in to loom over her before bringing their naked torsos together and kissed her again.

Maka sighed in contentment as she ran her hands everywhere she could touch. As her hands traveled down Soul's back she came to realize that the bastard still had his pants on! Now how was it fair that she was naked and yet he was still half clothed? She then got a wicked idea.

Smirking through the heated kiss, she brought her hands to his front, trailing her hands slowly along the waistline of his pants. She drew her hips back from his, nearly giggling when he tried to follow, but quickly let her fingers grab hold of his arousal through his jeans.

Soul nearly choked at Maka suddenly grabbing him like that. He broke their kiss holding back a groan when she started to massage him. "God damn," he choked out, trying to catch his breath. He fisted his hands in the sheets barely holding back the shudder that went through his entire body.

Maka smirked because she knew now she was in control. She drew one hand back a little, letting the other one continue its ministrations, and slowly started bringing his zipper down at a torturously slow pace. She thought she might have heard a low groan from Soul but all her focus was currently on her hands. She did chance a glance at his face. His eyebrows were scrunched together and his eyes were closed. His lips were parted, letting out small little pants. Sweat gathered around his temple, some beading down his face. She nearly took pity on him, nearly. But if he insisted on torturing her then she was going to torture him.

When she finally got the zipper all the way down she let both hands slip underneath the waistline of his boxers. That's when he smashed his lips against hers in a savage manner making her gasp at the ferocity. She moaned loudly as their tongues engaged in an erotic dance and her left hand abandoned her prize to grasp the back of his head. Her right hand formed a tight fist around Soul's manhood and slowly started to pump. The handjob was erratic at best because his hips started moving, throwing off the rhythm.

Soul growled in the back of his throat; almost not being able to handle the onslaught of pleasure he was feeling. But he wasn't one to leave a lady behind, so while she was holding him to her tightly, he let both of his hands wander down her body, teasingly, until he reached the apex of her thighs. Gently he slipped his fingers further and pressed against her entrance.

Maka practically screamed in their kiss, nearly weeping in joy. It had been so long since a man had touched her there; she wasn't sure what to do anymore. It was overwhelming. It nearly was her death though when one of his skilled pianist fingers pushed full inside of her. She broke their kiss, throwing her head back, and cried out, "Soul!"

Soul immediately latched onto her neck, loving how out of control Maka was becoming. Sadly because of this, Maka's multitasking skill became nonexistent as she stopped stroking his arousal but in the end it was probably for the best, if she had continued he wouldn't have lasted and that would have been uncool.

Slowly he began to push his finger in and out of her, trying to get her used to the feeling. Her hips bucked against his hand causing him to smirk against her skin when he heard her panting more loudly. Taking a chance, he pushed another finger inside of her. She hissed at first but slowly began to moan again as he continued his ministration, adding a scissoring motion. He then slowly introduced a third and had to look up when he heard Maka cry out his name in her loudest voice yet.

At first he worried he might have hurt her but when he continued forward he came to realize it was the opposite. Her eyes, once half lidded, were now closed tightly and cute little noises escaping from her lips. His third finger brushed against her wall, curling it a little, and made her entire body jump. He smirked, _'Found you.'_

He then began his assault on the area, watching as Maka's face contorted into one of complete pleasure. His other hand meanwhile reached up and his fingers pinching the bundle of nerves at the top of her entrance.

"SOUL!" Her hand practical tore at his scalp. "I need you!"

Soul growled again, agreeing with the sentiment, and suddenly pulled back. Maka gasped at the sudden loss of his body and watched as he got out of the bed.

At first she was confused until he started pulling off his shoes which were quickly followed by the rest of the clothes on his body. Soon he was standing in his naked glory and she felt her cheeks heat up as she looked at him up and down.

She couldn't help herself when she stared at a certain piece of anatomy that was in between his legs. She nearly gasped; it was larger than some of her past boyfriends, both in thickness and in length. It was paler than the rest of his body, jutting out tall and proud. She looked up to see Soul smirking down at her. "Like what you see?"

She didn't answer, but smiled up at him and rolled on her hands and knees. She then crawled slowly toward him.

Soul gulped to wet his suddenly dry throat, trying everything not to gape at the sexy sight before his eyes. Maka's back was slightly arched making her butt wiggle in the air when she made her way over to him. Her small breasts swayed enticingly and the look in her eyes almost made him want to jump on the bed and ravish her. But he held back, waiting in anticipation to see what she would do next. He was somewhat surprised when she reached down for the bag on the floor, taking out the box of condoms. She opened the box and pulled out one of the contents before smirking up at him.

Opening up the package, she took the condom out before kneeling on the bed. "Come here," she whispered. He couldn't find it in himself to deny her and came to stand at the edge of the bed.

Now Maka was feeling a little nervous. Yet trying to convey confidence she reached out and grabbed ahold of Soul's manhood. She heard him hiss but focused on the task at hand as she placed the condom opening at the tip. She fumbled a bit trying to put it on but she managed, even though he had to help her a bit. She then smiled up at him before leaning over and taking the tip in her mouth.

She actually never tried anything like this before, even with her past boyfriends, so she was going off guess work as she moved her tongue around playfully. She didn't go any farther, not liking the taste of the rubber on her taste buds, even after Soul placed a hand in her hair. Tsubaki, in one of her more drunken states, had told her this little trick always drove guys crazy and it seemed to be working as she listened to him groaning. She looked up through her lashes and stopped when she saw he was looking down at her, unveiled lust in his eyes.

Soul thought he died, not believing the hot sight he was now seeing. None of his past girlfriends had ever done something like this. But hot damn it was torture. Maka's mouth on him but still not able to feel all of her; he needed to be in her now! Then she looked up at him and he felt her tongue stop. He watched as she slowly let go of him before leaning back on her haunches holding and taking one of his hands.

Being led back onto the bed, Maka pulled them both to its center where they laid against each other, skin meeting skin. They both groaned at the contact. They kissed each other deeply while Soul pushed her legs farther apart and settling his hips against hers. She reached in between them, never breaking their kiss, and grabbed ahold of him again, this time leading him to her entrance.

She stiffened as his member first touched her but then forced herself to relax. This was Soul, the man she loved, he would never try to hurt her intentionally. She let go of him as his hips pushed forward, wrapping both arms around his neck.

Soul broke their kiss, placing his forehead against hers, as the tip of his member pushed inside. He couldn't believe how tight she was, almost too much to bear, and her heat! Jesus, he just wanted to close his eyes and pound into her. But he kept his eyes open and his pace slow, watching for any signs of discomfort on Maka's face as he continued forward but only saw pure bliss. Her eyes closed and head thrown back as she panted heavily "Soul…"

"Maka."

She grimaced slightly at one point and he stopped. "You… ok..?" he panted out.

"'m Ok," she panted back, the slight twinge of pain now going away. To prove her point she wrapped her legs around his waist and urged him to move forward. "Don't stop."

With the jerky nod, he started back up again until finally he was in all the way.

The two of them just laid there for a moment, enjoying the fact that they were now one. It was bliss for both of them. But soon, staying still wasn't going to cut it and Soul moved his hips back a bit before pushing back in.

Maka gasped at the sensation. It was only a tiny movement but the way he moved against her caused the most delicious feelings in all the right places. He did it again and the same pleasure ran across her body. Her fingers dug into his back making him growl again.

He adjusted his arms to where he had a higher position. He then brought his hips back again, this time a lot more than the last before forcefully pushing forward. He loved Maka's reaction; gasping and arching her back as her fingernails dug into his back. It showed him he was doing something right. He leaned down and licked at her lips and she tried to catch his tongue to bring him into a kiss. Soul just chuckled as he continued to slowly withdraw from her before ramming himself back in.

"Damn it Soul!" Maka yelled, raising her hips to get him to move faster. "Stop playing around!"

"Is it pissing you off?"

"Yes!"

Soul chuckled at that. "Well we can't have that, now can we?" He then withdrew until just his tip was inside her before plunging back in. Maka threw her head back and screamed his name more loudly. Now he certainly had to do that again and with a faster pace pulled back before pushing back in.

Soon they had a fast and hard rhythm. His full attention was on pleasuring the woman under him while Maka's hips met his in the fast pace. She cried out his name almost on every thrust and clawed at his back. The headboard began to bang against the wall but neither of them noticed.

Then Soul surprised Maka by wrapping his arms around her and sitting up. She squeaked and tightened her arms around his neck but was soon lost in pleasure as he sank further into her. "Soul!"

Their pace had been thrown off a bit, so he grabbed her hips and helped the young woman setting it back up. This time Maka felt more in control as she used his shoulders as leverage. When he would push out she would lift her hips up only to slam them down and met them halfway. The new position also allowed Soul to reach into places that Maka thought no one could touch.

Slowly there was a familiar tightening in the pit of her stomach and she picked up her pace. "God Maka!" Soul cried as he tried to keep up. He would be lying in saying that being cool mattered to him at that moment, all he wanted then was to bring her pleasure but at the pace she was going he was going to lose it before she did. So reaching between them and let his fingers play with her bundle of nerves.

"Ah! Soul!" Maka flopped against him as pleasure continued to consume her body. She couldn't take it anymore, she was almost done. She had enough energy left to lift her head up and look at Soul in the eye. "Love!... Love you Soul!"

Soul merely grunted, the pleasure he was feeling cutting of his function to speak but Maka was still able to see the look in his eyes, under all the lust, that he loved her too. He then used his other hand, which was once on her waist, to grab the back of her head and smash their lips together while his other pinched her bundle harshly.

That was it for her. She screamed in his mouth as pain and pleasure mixed into one and she let herself go. She would have thrown her head back but Soul's grip on her head was too strong. So instead she continued to ride him until she felt him let go.

Maka's passage became increasingly tight, almost so where he couldn't possibly move. The coil in the pit of his stomach was almost there, he just needed that one last push. It came when he finally let go of her head and broke their kiss to catch their breath. He looked into her eyes, seeing the look of sexual satisfaction, was all it took. It was just too much to see the woman he loved satisfied. He threw his head back as he felt himself cum into the condom, part of him wishing that it wasn't and instead flowing into Maka directly. He continued to push his hips forward as waves of pleasure cascaded over him until he was completely spent. It was only after he was sure that he was finished that he was able to look at her directly in the eyes.

Both of them were panting heavily as they leaned their foreheads together. They continued to sit there, just staring into each other's eyes, basking in the glow of their lovemaking. Soul was able to get his energy back first and was able to remove himself from her. Gently, he laid her down on the bed before getting off to throw the condom away.

Maka just lay on the bed feel like she had just run a marathon. Her limbs felt like jelly and she didn't resist as Soul disappeared from her sight. It didn't worry her though, she knew he loved her not to use her for one act of sex. She wasn't disappointed when a couple of minutes later, he returned maneuvering her to where her back laid against his chest, his arms wrapped around her tightly. She smiled when she felt hiss head snuggle against her shoulder.

"God damn… that was great," Soul muttered.

Maka giggled a little. "Really?" she asked half teasingly, half seriously. He hummed, burying his face further into her neck. He gave it a quick kiss.

"Really."

Both of them remained silent after that. They were basking in the newfound relationship they had both started. Instead of being scared, they felt very content with their lot in life at the moment, having found someone they really loved. For Soul it was someone who could see the real him and possibly be a mother to his kids and for Maka it was someone who she could trust wholeheartedly. It was as perfect as perfect could be.

Maka felt herself being lulled into dream land when she felt Soul smirk against her skin. She was about to inquire what he was smiling about when she felt his hands start traveling down her body sensuously. She wasn't sure what was going on until his hands boldly cupped her mound, pushing a finger inside of her. She jumped in surprise and that was when she felt something poking her lower back. Her eyes widened as Soul spoke. "Oi, Maka. You ready for round two?" She turned her head to reprimand him but his lips caught hers before she could. And just like that she lost all resistance and she was pulled into another round of lovemaking.

* * *

Maka winced as she slowly became aware something bright was hitting her face. Grudgingly, she carefully opened her eyes to get a face full of sunlight. She winced again, blinking slowly, before being able to see. Immediately what greeted her sight were the blood red walls of Soul's room.

Instead of feeling weirded out, it made her inexplicably happy. She sighed dreamily as a goofy smile crossed her face. For a man that hadn't had sex in the past five years he certainly knew what he was doing. He did things to her body, made her feel things, that she never thought possible. Nothing was safe from his passion, the bed, the floor, hell even the shower at one point. The man certainly had stamina.

She turned her head and faced Soul's sleeping face. It was so handsome, so without worry. Her heart swelled in happiness at being able to lie next to this man. She frowned a little though when she came to realize he wasn't next to her. When she tried to move, she soon became aware of a barrier between the two of them. She looked down to see three little heads, Ty on Soul's right, Essie in between Soul and Maka, while Alex was to her left. They too were also asleep, looking like peaceful little angels.

At first Maka was starting to freak out but then became aware that she had clothes on. She looked down confused; she was wearing Soul's shirt and, if she felt right, she was wearing a pair of his shorts as well. Her mind tried to frantically recall when Soul could have put her in his clothes. _'Let me think… I remember the great sex…. We did it one last time… in his bed?... then I… passed… out….'_ She blushed deeply in embarrassment, had she been so satisfied from their sex session that she wasn't even able to wake up when he put her in clothes? And then be able to hear the doorbell for the kids? Damn….

Alex shifted, snuggling closer to her as he threw an arm over her waist. He muttered something she couldn't hear but Maka smiled as she wrapped her arms around him to keep him from falling off the bed. She looked at everyone around her, feeling more like she was a part of a family than she had in a long time. This was true happiness.

She was about to fall back asleep when she got a sudden idea. As a little girl, before the divorce, her mother would always make her breakfast in bed on her birthday. And today was Essie's birthday….

With a stealthiness that she didn't know she possessed, Maka was able to maneuver herself out of Alex's grip and slip out of the bed. She scooted Alex closer to the center of the bed before covering him in the sheets. On impulse she leaned down and kissed the boy on the top of the head before quietly slipping out of the room.

When she entered the living room, she looked out the window, noting that the sun was now just a little over the New York skyline. She figured that it was late morning or early afternoon which worked perfectly for her plan as she scurried off to the kitchen. As quietly as possible she drew out some pots and pans out of the cupboards under the counter. She winced whenever the shiny, metal pans would fall when she moved one and she vowed to herself that she was going to organize them one of these days.

Once she had her supplies from the food pantry and the refrigerator, while making sure no one woke up, she got to work. She started with the eggs and soon was working her way up with other food items; bacon, toast, the typical breakfast items. The room wafted with the delicious food that she really hoped it wouldn't wake the household.

Maka was just beginning on Essie's favorite breakfast food, chocolate chip pancakes, when a little voice startled her. "Ms. Maka?"

Maka nearly jumped a foot in the air as she spun around, seeing the white haired five-year-old standing at the entrance of the kitchen, rubbing her eyes. She looked absolutely adorable in one of her father's large shirts that fell past her knees. Her small feet were bare and her hair was in slight disarray, showing she had just woken up. Her green eyes were slightly blurry as she looked up at Maka with a curious expression. "What are you doing?"

Maka smiled though slightly disappointed that she had not finished making breakfast in time. Feeling that the food would be ok to be left alone for a few seconds, she went over to the little girl. "Making breakfast," she replied in a quiet voice as she picked the girl up. "Woah! You're getting too big for this."

The little girl in her arms giggled as Maka took her over to the counter. "Papa says the same thing."

"Speaking of Papa, is he or your brothers awake?" Maka asked as she went back to flipping the pancakes.

Essie shook her head. "Nope. I was really sneaky! They all still asleep!" She covered her mouth to keep her laughter at bay as she watched Maka.

Maka was very happy at that. "How was your birthday party last night?"

"It was awesome!" Essie whispered happily. "I got so many birthday presents! Papa took them upstairs this morning when Ms. Kami dropped us off. Then he said we could lay in bed with you guys."

"That's wonderful. I can't wait to see them." Maka then noticed the child frown and her eyebrows knit together. "Essie?" Maka asked in concern. "Something wrong?"

The child bit her bottom lip as her eyes met Maka's shyly. "Ms. Maka…. Why were you and dad in the same bed?"

That stopped Maka short. Frantically her mind tried to think of an excuse other than… that. "No reason," was Maka's lame excuse. She was just happy her voice didn't crack because of the tightness in her throat. "Why do you ask?"

Essie cast her eyes away, looking anywhere but at her. "Because Papa always sleeps somewhere else when guests come over. He says only Mommy and Daddy's sleep in beds together."

Maka felt her panic melt away a little and give way to a warm feeling inside her. Again Soul was being symbolic by sharing a bed with her, telling her he was ready for the next step. Though it should have frightened her, and it did a little, it didn't really because deep down she was ready for it too. But it was going to be awhile before it came to that because even though they loved each other, she didn't want to jump into anything so fast.

"Well…," Maka said turning back to making breakfast. "That's true. But…." She took a deep breath, gathering her courage to say the words that she had wanted to say a month ago. " Papa and I have become… more than friends recently so it's ok…. And honestly I… I wouldn't mind if you called me 'Mama.'" She cast a glance at Essie to see the wide-eyed expression on the girl as she stared up at her.

"Really Ms. Maka?"

Maka offered the girl a nervous smile. "Really. In fact, I'm doing something my Mama used to do for me when I was a little girl. Every birthday she would make me breakfast in bed and since it is your birthday today I thought it would be a good idea… to start this family tradition with you."

Out of the reactions she was expecting, she was surprised when Essie jumped off the counter and grabbed ahold of Maka's leg, hiding her face. "Essie?" Maka kneeled down, causing the young girl to let go. She cupped the child's cheek meeting her watery gaze. She didn't know what to do; the girl looked like she was going to cry but her eyes held happiness instead of saddenss. "Would you like that Essie? If you called me 'Mama?'"

"Y-yes! I would like that so much Ms. Maka! I've wanted you to be my mama for a long time!" Maka barely had time to process the confession as the young child launched herself into the older woman's arms, wrapping her own around Maka's neck.

Pure happiness ate at Maka's heart as she held the little girl, burying her head into the child's hair. To know that this child had wanted her to be a mother to her made everything inside Maka just want to laugh and cry. If Essie wanted to call her Mama, did that mean the boys did too? That would just be the icing on the cake.

She took another deep breath again and noted that something was different in the air. Something burnt. "OH!" Quickly she stood, remembering the pancakes, and frantically tried to save the meal. Essie giggled, wiping her face of her tears, as she watched the display.

Maka huffed as she placed the partially burnt pancake on the plate. "Well. It doesn't look too bad," she said, looking down at Essie. "Hope you don't mind it's a little burnt."

"Of course not, Mama!" Essie replied without skipping a beat. Maka beamed, liking how that sounded.

After that, both of them finished making breakfast, with Essie calling Maka 'Mama' every chance she could get, the both of them set up the food onto a tray they found and made their way back to the bedroom. Entering the room, Maka almost laughed at the sight. With the girls out of the bed, the boys had made a mess of the sheets, wrapping themselves in them. Soul had moved toward the center of the bed along with Ty. The sheets were wrapped around his hips, showing off his scarred chest while Ty and Alex had smashed themselves on either side of their father, their black heads peeking just out of the sheets.

Maka looked down to see Essie smirking up at her. Catching on, Maka smirked and nodded her head. Instantly the five-year-old ran over to the bed, climbed on, and standing up before jumping up and down. "Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!" she shouted happily.

Maka did laugh as all three boys groaned, the twins moaning their sister's name, while Soul forcefully opened his eyes. He yawned, showing of his sharp teeth, while stretching. He smirked up at Essie as he sat up before suddenly grabbing the girl and bringing her into a hug. "Happy Birthday, you!" Soul laughed as he tickled the girl.

Essie responded in a fit of giggles which made her brothers finally sit up and watch the greeting.

Once Soul had stopped tickling Essie and the young girl had calmed down, Essie immediately sat up and beamed at Maka. "Mama made me breakfast!" she shouted.

Soul stopped short as well as Ty and Alex. "Mama?" both boys said in confusion and a little bit of excitement.

"Yeah!" Essie said, waving her arms in the air as she looked at her brothers. "Ms. Maka said that we can call her Mama and it would make her really happy too!"

Both boys stared at Essie for a moment almost not believing it, but when they looked at Maka's beaming yet nervous face, slowly they came to believe it. They turned their heads toward each other before a slow smile crept across their faces. They then turned toward Maka again and started moving toward her shouting "Mama!" with Essie shortly joining in.

As the kids continued to shout their excitement out, Maka made eye contact with a very shocked Soul. The expression he wore was one of shock, excitement, disbelief, and hope. Maka smirked at him, clearly conveying _'You-are-stuck-with-me-now. Better-get-used-to-it.'_

After a moment, Soul smirked before leaning back against his headboard saying, _'I'm-cool-with-that.'_ Maka laughed as she came toward the bed and set the tray down. The kids gathered around her and she gave each of them a quick kiss on the head before climbing onto the bed to join Soul.

The white haired man wrapped his around her shoulder as she leaned onto his own. Both of them watched the kids go to town on the food, content smiles on their faces as they thought the same thing,

'_This is the life…'_

_Epilogue~ 1 year later_

Maka sighed happily as she watched party goers dance and talk. Everybody was having a great time, dressed in their best suits and dresses, as the sunset over the New York skyline. The area was decorated finely, almost with an old English feel to it. The walls were a lovely beige with painted murals of gardens in each corner of the room. White tablecloth tables, with exotic centerpieces, surrounded the dance floor while windows lined the walls, giving people a lovely view of New York City's Botanical Gardens. On one side of the room a pair of glass doors was open allowing even more guests to come and go as they pleased. It was perfect.

Then again this was her wedding reception so of course it was going to be perfect.

She smiled as she smoothed out any wrinkles on her white, lacy, A-line, wedding dress. The entire day had been perfect in her mind, from beginning to now. She didn't really have any breakdowns throughout the day and she certainly had no regret about marrying the man she loved. She glanced down at the diamond, princess cut engagement/wedding ring.

Maka Albarn _Evans_. That certainly had a ring to it.

Her eyes searched the room until she found her _husband_ talking with Black Star near the dance floor. She admired him, the way his pinstripe suit sat against his entire frame making him look even sexier. She had practically forced him into the suit because he wanted to go more traditional; she wouldn't have it though, the day he had returned home a year ago in that suit he had tainted her forever to any other suit. She did compromise though and allowed him to where a white shirt with a black tie (he refused to wear a bowtie, saying it was "uncool"). He didn't wear a headband like he normally would but managed to place his bangs out of his face, though now looked a little disheveled.

Her own hair wasn't any better. She had let it down for the wedding, with just a simple veil with a floral ring that kept it in place. She had managed to make it look full and fluffy for the wedding ceremony but now she saw sure that it was flat again, and she had no veil to hide it. She didn't really care though. All that she cared about was the expensive dress and jewelry made it through the evening.

She watched as Ty and Alex, both dressed in their finest tuxes and ties, ran up to their father. Quickly, they were followed by Essie in her white flower girl dress with a red sash around her waist. They spoke to Soul for a moment before running off to the dance floor. Soul looked around before making eye contact with Maka.

She watched him smile as he quickly left Black Star's side to come over to her location. "Hey," he said coming to stand in front of her. He bent down and gave her a quick peck on the lips before smirking. "The kids want us to dance with them."

Maka smiled. "I'll be there in a minute. I just had to take a break."

"Better not keep the kids waiting. You know how they can get." He reached out with his left hand and Maka caught the sight of the platinum wedding band that rested on his ring finger. It matched her own band and she nearly beat Soul to a pulp when she learned that it was really platinum and not silver.

He gave her hand a quick squeeze and she leaned up to give him a kiss of her own. "Then you better get going," she whispered when they broke apart, their faces inches apart. "They'll be happy with one for a bit. I'll be there soon. And watch out for those nasty business men. You may be the CEO of Rose Industry now but it's our wedding. I don't want you talking business."

Soul chuckled in agreement as he leaned down and kissed her again before breaking off and heading toward the dance floor. Maka watched him as he joined his kids, catching Essie and spinning her around. The little girl laughed while her brothers danced around their father. Maka couldn't help but smile at the sight.

A server with champagne passed her and offered her a drink which she immediately declined; after all she had to watch herself now. She looked back at her family and a small smirk spread across her face as she placed a hand on her stomach, wondering how Soul would take the news that another little Evans was on the way.

* * *

**THANK YOU ALL AGAIN AND DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW ONE LAST TIME! LOTS OF LOVE!**


End file.
